A Wizard in Alagaesia
by fan-xover
Summary: After a disappointing and mostly isolated life on earth, Harry tries to escape it and his responsibility and ends up in Alagaesia. Was it random chance that led him there or are the actions of the King so grave that they necessitate his arrival to maintain balance? Can he find peace and a life worth living in this war torn world? Or is he destined to wander forever alone?
1. Chapter 1

**This is a Harry Potter/Inheritance cycle crossover and my first foray into crossovers and writing as a whole. I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism.****  
><strong>**There will be some things that fans of Inheritance cycle will not like ( Harry/Arya) – being a fan myself I understand but I'd like you to give this story a chance. By the way, if you are wondering Eragon will get his epic romance though not with Arya.****  
><strong>**Another important thing is that Harry is more powerful than in canon or you can say that he has better utilized his potential whatever suits you. Therefore, there are many things in Harry's history that do not match canon.****  
><strong>**This story starts off at the battle of the burning plains and will diverge from Inheritance canon in a big way. Harry will play a very important part and most of the story will be from his point of view though he will not be the miraculous solution to all problems. Due to Harry being in this fic there will be additional challenges and problems and new magic that the Varden will have to face- some of it similar to HP magic (though no characters from there apart from Harry). Hope you enjoy it.  
>The first chapter is from Arya's and Eragon's point of view to facilitate the entry of Harry's character without giving away how he came to be in this world. That will be covered in future chapters.<strong>**  
><strong>**One last thing is that Harry's magic is somewhat different from that which is used by Eragon and company- more will be explained in the fic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the inheritance cycle series (I would be very rich otherwise).The characters and worlds are the product of the vivid imaginations of JKR and CP respectively. I am simply playing with the characters and making no profit out of it (except a great degree of enjoyment).**

**Chapter 1**

Arya had been fighting for the better part of the day and while the men of the empire, ill-trained as they were, were not a threat to her or any other elf, fighting them continuously sapped her energy. Her body was aching both from exhaustion and the injuries the soldiers had managed to inflict by getting past her defences through the strength of their numbers. Her forehead was damp with sweat and her throat burned with thirst further heightened by the stench of blood and the impure air of the burning plains.

She brought her focus back onto the battle at hand. A group of five soldiers from the empire charged her. She readied her sword. She batted aside the thrust of the spear of the first man and twirled out of the way of another. Her sword meanwhile was moving and as they were unbalanced she used her superior speed to make quick work out of them, thrusting into the exposed part of their necks. The other soldiers were wary now. She could see it in their eyes; they had expected her to be an easy target, hoping she would be tired due to the prolonged battle and because she was a woman. She smiled grimly at their discomfort and attacked. Within a few moments they were on the ground. There was a brief lull in the battle as there were no enemy soldiers around her. She had learned to appreciate these moments as it gave her a chance to recuperate.

She took stock of the situation. The Varden were pushing the empire back and were winning ground mainly due to the efforts of Eragon and Saphira. It seemed that the arrival of the dwarves had further lowered the hopes of the imperial forces. Many had surrendered and flung their weapons on the ground, others had run but even with that there were still many left fighting. However, if they didn't regroup they would surely lose. It seemed it was only a matter of time before their whole army retreated, waiting only to do as much damage as they could. Even as she was thinking this a flaming javelin flew over her head into the tents of the empire. She could see the soldiers in there trying and failing to contain the blaze. The ship that Trianna had warned her about had decided to play its part in the battle. While she was observing the confusion in the ranks of the empire and calculating where she could help most, a horn rang out from behind their army. Then another, and another and another; she frowned. It did not sound like an order to retreat as it was accompanied by the beating of drums. More like the joining of a new force. Reinforcements at this point would boost the morale of the empire forces and sow despair into the Varden as they had been fighting since morning and the forces of the empire seemed endless.

However, as she looked to the horizon it was something much worse. She could make out the silhouette of a great flying beast and hoped it was one of the lethrbaka. However a ray of sunlight burst from the clouds and illuminated the figure of a sparkling red dragon mounted by a rider clad in red armour. Galbatorix had gotten another egg to hatch. The oath breaker had another rider in his control. Even as despair filled her, she steeled herself and sought out the only one in the battle field who could hopefully take on this new threat. Eragon was fighting with Saphira alongside the dwarf king Hrothgar. He too had paused to take in the new rider. Even from afar Arya could see that his eyes had widened and his shoulders had fallen as he contemplated taking on this new rider. It was only then that Arya had doubts if Eragon could win. Galbatorix had no doubt trained the rider and was satisfied with him to send him into battle. Add to it the fact that Eragon and Saphira were tired and she could not help but be afraid of what might happen.

Eragon looked as the red dragon made its way over the armies of the empire towards him. The rider raised an armour covered hand and Eragon tensed anticipating an attack. He strengthened his wards against magical attacks pulling energy from Saphira, the belt and the minds that were close to death near him. They were already dying and he needed the energy because if he died there would be no rider left to support the Varden. He cringed as he felt their terror as they entered the void. Ignoring the prickling in his conscience and the feeling of death, he continued to strengthen his defences, preparing his mind for the battle at hand, no doubt that this would be a tough fight as he was tired and the rider before him was a formidable foe- perhaps the strongest foe he had ever encountered but he would not give in without a fight. He could feel Saphira's acknowledgement of his feelings as she tried to hide her apprehension from him. His attention was drawn back as a crackling bolt of ruby red magic issued forth from the hand of the rider and before he could bring his wards to protect himself he realised with dawning horror that it was not headed towards him but towards the dwarf king. Eragon tried to redirect his magic, words in the ancient language falling fast from his lips but he knew that he would not be in time and anything he conjured in such a short time would not be enough.

So he was surprised when the beam of energy unleashed by the rider was stopped by a glowing golden energy shield just before it hit the dwarf king. Eragon felt no drain on his energy and knew that it was not something he did because even with his extensive knowledge he knew of no spell to create such a barrier in the short time interval he had. He felt no rise in magic in Saphira and knew it was not her doing. The two energies collided in a shower of sparks and fought against each other. It seemed as if the whole battle had stopped. All soldiers nearby had stopped to witness the spectacle. They believed that it was the two riders doing battle, the red seeking to kill the king and Eragon protecting him. The dwarf magicians were looking at him in awe and confusion. He himself kept up a blank face so as not to show his complete ignorance of the situation. He could sense Saphira's confusion over their link and a hint of familiarity..?

_Do you know what this is Saphira? _he asked though he kept his focus on the battle.

_No little one, I don't but I can't shake of the feeling that I should know what magic is protecting the bearded ones king. But, that is a matter for another time. We can but hope that whatever is protecting him is on our side. Be wary little one and prepare yourself. This battle of wills and magic will soon come to an end and we will have to battle the rider. Hopefully he will be drained by this encounter. Look at him._

Just as she said this the rider dropped his hand and stopped the beam of energy. Eragon could see the mounting sense of frustration and disbelief in the rider by his posture. He decided that this would be the opportune moment to attack as his opponent would still be reeling from the after effects of the use of such potent magic and would be unsure due to his failure. He looked at the dwarf king who gave him grateful look and shouted. Eragon could hear him due to the momentary stop in the battle.

''You have saved mine life Eragon. I owe you a debt. The decision to induct you to my clan was the best decision I ever made. Now show this upstart what a real rider can do."

Eragon smiled at him and gave no indication that he had nothing to do with saving the king's life. He could clear up that confusion later. Right now anything that helped boost the morale of the Varden and unbalance his foe was welcome. He raised Zarr'roc above his head and Saphira gave a fearsome roar. This seemed to break the spell as the Varden followed it up by banging on their shields, hollering at the top of their voices as they charged the empire. They were heartened by the show of strength of their rider. Eragon let much of the energy he had accumulated from the people around him drain into the belt of behloth the wise, keeping enough to sooth the weariness in his and Saphira's limbs. Refreshed with energy he jumped atop Saphira and fastened the belts securing him to the saddle. He looked across the field and his eyes met those of Arya and he nearly laughed at the curious mix of expressions on her face – confusion, concern, shock all were there in differing amounts. She must have seen some hint of his thoughts in his visage because her face took on the customary blank mask and she gave him a nod, as she once again moved to engage the enemy.

Meanwhile, the red rider seemed to have regained his bearings as the dragon gave out an earthshaking roar of challenge. Saphira answered with one of her own as rider and dragon flew into battle once more.

-Time skip to the end of the riders' battle atop the plateau-

Eragon watched with bated breath as Roran made his way towards the twins. The fact that Murtagh had chosen not to inform the twins of this danger gave him hope that even though he had been defeated, Murtagh could be talked out of killing him.

He watched as Roran hid behind a pile of bodies. The twins stopped and gazed at the mound of bodies, their confusion showing in their faces. It seemed they had noticed something. Eragon prepared to whisk Roran out of danger no matter Murtagh's promise when the magicians dismissed whatever it was they felt and continued hurling bolts of energy at the Varden. Roran jumped from behind the pile of bodies, towards them raising his hammer for a killing blow on one of the brothers when he turned around and sent a bolt directly at Roran. Roran would not be able to avoid the blow and Eragon could do nothing but watch when for the second time that day the golden shield materialised out of nowhere stopping the energy and saving Roran from certain death. However, this time the shield did more than absorb the blow, it turned it on the caster and the unfortunate twin fell to his own magic. Eragon watched as the other twin too fell with the first clutching his head- they must have been connected. Roran taking the opportunity raised his hammer and brought it down on the head of the fallen twin, ending his life. Then, planting his foot on the corpse of his enemy he raised his hammer and bellowed his victory.

Eragon watched Murtagh smiled in satisfaction at the end of the twins' lives. He must have truly hated them to risk incurring Galbatorix's wrath by letting them die.

"What now? Are you going to kill me?" demanded Eragon as Murtagh turned to face him, still not giving any indication that he did not know anything about the golden shield though Murtagh must have figured out that he was not the cause of it anyway.

"Why would I want to kill you? The king wants you alive."

Eragon stiffened. He had hoped he could stop Murtagh from killing him. But if the king wanted him alive, he didn't know whether he could prevent Murtagh from taking him prisoner. Trying to keep the panic out of his voice, he decided to stall hoping he could come up with a way to escape if he could keep Murtagh talking.

"Why?"

"You haven't guessed? Now there is a fine jest if I have ever seen one. Had Galbatorix wanted you dead he could have killed you long ago, he only had to fly out. You are nothing but a nuisance to him. He could crush you like an ant if he so chose, my power is nothing compared to his yet I beat you that should be proof enough. Or did you actually fancy yourself a legitimate threat? One thing I am curious about is the shield which stopped my attacks on Hrothgar and the twins' attacks on who I assume is your cousin."

Eragon refused to answer, focusing instead on the first part of Murtagh's question. He had on occasion thought of what he would do if Galbatorix did decide to fly to battle and had come up with no suitable strategy or plan. Murtagh's taunts about that hit home but he would not give him the satisfaction by letting him know that.

On Eragon's refusal to answer, Murtagh's tone took on a mocking edge.

"Never mind I will find out soon enough about that and your change in appearance. You fancy yourself a hero, don't you Eragon, you with your morals and righteousness. Yet what has it brought you. I entered Galbatorix's service unwillingly even opposed him at every turn when I got the chance. Yet he saw fit to reward me with power when I opened my mind to his visions. And what a vision it is Eragon, one where the dragon riders rule again and bring peace to these lands, which it has been lacking due to your petty resistance. He seeks to build the riders again more glorious than before. That is why he needs Saphira. The last dragon egg is male and Saphira the only female dragon in existence. He needs her and that is why he will not harm either of you for he knows what it is to lose a partner and would like to spare her that fate. But even his patience is not infinite and he will use force when you don't agree and he will win. . Is this evil Eragon, to want to bring peace and eliminate war? We don't have to be on opposite sides. Join me brother, and we can rule together and bring prosperity to these lands."

Eragon's resentment was growing with each passing second that Murtagh spoke. It broke through his determination to remain calm when Murtagh called him a brother.

"You are no brother of mine. I would have accepted you as one before but not now. Do you even listen to yourself? You are spouting the same beliefs that you once professed to hate. Or have you forgotten that it was Galbatorix who slaughtered the riders, that..."

"And they deserved it", Murtagh snarled cutting off Eragon. "They deserved it and more, they were old, fat and corrupt, willing to live in the glories of their past. They had become tools by which the elves subjugated the humans. They needed to be destroyed to start anew. They were..."

"Everything Galbatorix wanted to be but couldn't when he lost his dragon to his foolishness. They had their faults as does everyone but they were just and were loved and revered. " Eragon said proudly. Oromis had taught him to think logically and to take pride in the achievements of the riders of the past even as he taught him about the mistakes they made so that he may not repeat them.

"Galbatorix is feared and he seeks to rebuild the riders so that he can give a semblance of justice. He seeks to use the glories of the riders to cover his tyranny, to hide his illegitimate hold over the throne to prevent future rebellions. You know this Murtagh. You yourself told me how he manipulates those around him. We can help you. I have learned much with the elves. Arya and I can look up ways to neutralise your bonds. Fortunately, we were able to foil your attack on Hrothgar. You have not done anything yet that can't be forgiven, that you may later regret. You want to leave the Galbatorix's service. Join me Murtagh, we don't have to fight on opposite sides," Eragon said gently, echoing Murtagh's words from moments ago.

"You can't free me, Eragon. None but Galbatorix can release us from our oaths...he knows our true names. We are bound to his will until either our deaths or his."

Eragon felt pity at Murtagh's situation. A proud man bound against his will. But then a thought struck him, Brom's words that all wards, all magic had loopholes echoed in his mind. Surely that held true for oaths also.

"Then allow us to kill you. While Galbatorix may have your oaths to not harm yourselves, I doubt he said anything about dying in a fight."

"And why would I allow that?" Murtagh asked.

Eragon chose his words carefully to best make his point.

"It would free you from a life of servitude. Under Galbatorix you will be forced to commit unmentionably horrible acts, to kill innocents- hundreds thousands even. Surely that is enough cause to give your life for. Your sacrifice will be remembered, I promise you that. Under Galbatorix you will be reviled and feared."

Murtagh looked thoughtful and for a moment Eragon thought he would accept but his hopes were dashed.

"No. Had it been only me I would have given my life but nothing in this world is worth Thorn's. These past few months have been the best of my life; where before living was a burden now it is a gift that I am loath to part with. I still have to enjoy much of it and with Thorn by my side I may just be able to do so. With you I found friendship but with Thorn I found something more- a partner. You are a rider Eragon. You must understand the depth of the bond we share."

Eragon had no answer. There was precious little in this world that he would not trade in return for Saphirs's life. In fact he was unsure at what he would do if he was in Murtagh's place. This more than anything made him abandon his sense and vent his feelings without thought.

"But surely you don't want to serve him. He has committed numerous crimes and will have you do the same. Did you forget how he asked you to slaughter a village full of innocents or that it was he who is responsible for the death of Tornac?"

Eragon had stood up while he was making his point and at the end of his tirade he realised that he phrased the last part of it wrongly. He was looking to guilt Murtagh, remind him of his past self but it seemed he had made a mistake. At the mention of Tornac Murtagh lost his cool and Eragon was thrown backwards as he muttered something.

"Don't you dare accuse me of forgetting him?"

Murtagh looked livid, his eyes held a maniacal glint and for the first time that day Eragon was truly afraid that he had crossed some line.

Murtagh mumbled something and Eragon felt unimaginable pain course through him. His muscles spasmed and he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. He could hear Saphira roaring as the pain passed to her through their link. Eragon tried to shut it off but could not marshal his thoughts enough to do it. He could feel blood trickling from his nose. He heard a scream and realised it was his own voice. He did not remember when he lost control; he could feel nothing but the pain in his body and the soreness in his throat. This was worse than the pain from his scar, worse than when Durza'a consciousness was within him. He wanted it to end and surprisingly it did. He could hear Thorn roaring in the background but couldn't fathom the reason. The pain was gone as suddenly as it started and only now did Eragon realise that though it felt like eternity it had been only a scant few seconds under the spell. Eragon gasped for breath as he looked at Murtagh. His vision was blurred.

"How did you break the spell?"

Eragon simply looked on in confusion. _What is he talking about_ he wondered. His thoughts were still muddled. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw something barrel towards Murtagh. Saphira, he realised belatedly. He heard Murtagh say something.

"Risa"

Saphira was held off the ground struggling, she was not able to get back on it or to fly any higher. _How can he do that and still remain human _Eragon thought. These thoughts were pushed aside as ignoring his screaming muscles he tried to stand and charge Murtagh while he was busy dealing with Saphira.

"Letta"

And he was unable to move. He had similar experiences with Oromis to draw upon. Recalling them he formed the words needed to free himself from the invisible binds.

He drew upon his strength and raged it against his bonds. A few seconds passed and Eragon felt his strength flagging. Without asking Saphira added her strength to his and together they fought against Murtagh.

Five seconds passed. Then ten; then a minute; even with Saphira's support Eragon could start to feel the effects of channelling so much energy as involuntary tremors passed through his body.

Murtagh did not appear to be even the least bit tired and was simply staring at him. Eragon tried to free himself with a last bit of effort throwing everything he had behind his spell, but to no avail and he was forces to admit defeat as he let go of the magic.

He was terrified now as he did not know what Murtagh was capable of.

"You can't hope to defeat me, Eragon," said Murtagh. "Only Galbatorix can. No one else has the strength or the hearts". Murtagh walked up to Eragon picking up zar'roc on his way. He unbuckled Zar'roc's sheath from Eragon's belt and attached it to his own after sheathing the sword he previously wielded and discarding it.

"Zar'roc belongs to me. Inheritance goes to the eldest son not the youngest."

Eragon reeled as he took in the meaning of his words. Surely, it couldn't be what he thought it meant. Someone would have told him. Brom or Oromis. He could hear Saphira growling at Murtagh helpless to do anything to sooth him. Thorn growled back in challenge.

Murtagh continued with a cruel smirk, this time in the ancient language to leave no doubt.

"I never told you my mother's name did I. It was Selena. The twins figured out the connection when they looked into your head. It amused Galbatorix greatly when he first found out. Two sons of Morzan, fighting on opposite sides; you and I are more alike than you would care to admit Eragon."

Eragon struggled against the spell, even as his emotions raged within him. Looking to hurt Murtagh as he had hurt him, he lashed out.

"We are nothing alike. I don't have a scar on my back anymore."

The effect of the words was instantaneous. Murtagh's face settled into a blank mask and any hint of humour left his eyes as they became cold.

"Now you must agree to come with me to Uru'baen. Just give me your word as a rider and I will not have to use force, though I will relish it if you disagree. Saphira, I know will follow wherever you go."

Saphira growled in response but did nothing else as she knew that at the moment they were helpless. Eragon recognized the futility of trying to fight but he couldn't just give up.

"I will not go easily if that is what you are looking for. Your threats are meaningless as you can't kill me. Do what you will Murtagh, I pity what you have become."

Thorn growled at the insult to his rider and made his way forward to punish Eragon until he stopped presumably having a conversation with Murtagh.

"You will resent those words when you reach Uru'baen Eragon. Give up any hope you may have of escaping, there is none who can help you now."

Eragon struggles more against his bonds but they held. He was on the verge of giving up hope when a voice seemingly coming out of nowhere addressed Murtagh.

"Now that is a tad bit arrogant isn't it. You shouldn't presume such things."

There was a flash of red light which raised the hairs on Eragon's neck as it passed him and blasted Murtagh off his feet. Thorn roared and searched for the culprit. At the same time Eragon felt the web of magic keeping him and Saphira immobile being wrenched apart and he regained the use of his limbs as Saphira fell to the ground releasing a cloud of dust. Eragon looked to see the caster of the spell but could discern no source.

Murtagh, meanwhile had regained his bearings and stood beside Thorn holding zar'roc sunlight glinting of the sword and his armour.

"Show yourself," he thundered and Eragon could tell that he was angry.

The reply was another beam of energy being sent his way. Instead of using a ward or dodging Murtagh brought up zar'roc to deflect the energy simultaneously speaking a few words in the ancient language to reinforce the wards on it. More beams of magic made it to his position from different directions and he deflected or stopped them all. He seemed to know of the indestructible properties of the sword along with its ability to cut through most wards and magic.

_Of course he knows. We discussed it with him._

Saphira had reopened their connection in order to converse as Murtagh was engaged in battle and was in no position to attack them. Conversely, Eragon was disarmed and fatigued and could not take advantage of the situation and even Saphira though in a better condition that him could not take on Thorn who was relatively fresh.

It seemed that Murtagh had had enough of his invisible opponent and was taking steps to negate that advantage. He spoke a few words in the ancient language which roughly translated to _reveal the invisible_ and Eragon felt a wave of magic pass by him. And there a dozen feet away a man was revealed. From farther off Eragon could have mistaken him for an elf or a shade. However, his eyes held none of the malevolence like those of a shade nor did he have the beauty of an elf though he felt unique in a way Eragon couldn't describe. He had black hair and green eyes which were fixed on Murtagh and was dressed in a long tunic that went to just below his knees and had a scabbard attached to the belt at his waist. Eragon never had seen anyone dress like that. He held a stick in his hands which was pointed at Murtagh who seemed to have recognized the person.

"You. I have been searching for you since you escaped."

For a moment Eragon feared that the person was against him but he brushed them away when he realised that Murtagh was none too happy at his appearance.

"Why? Did you miss me?" the stranger asked as if it was perfectly normal for him.

Murtagh said nothing in response but charged him. The stranger said nothing but gestured with his stick and the ground in front of Murtagh rose sending him falling backwards, however that wasn't enough as when Murtagh fell the ground around him rose up to cover his body. Eragon was amazed that the stranger was able to perform such magic without words but he believed the stick must have something to do with it. For a moment he believed that they had won but then he heard Thorn roar and set off towards the stranger.

For his part the stranger appeared calm as if an enraged dragon was nothing to worry about. He merely waved his stick and a translucent barrier appeared in front of Thorn who was unable to stop as he crashed into it. The barrier strained and then broke and Thorn resumed his charge though he appeared slightly hurt and disoriented. The stranger it seems was not expecting this and he bent his knees and jumped far higher than any human could jump and landed about fifteen feet away from the rampaging dragon.

However, it seemed that in his haste to escape the dragon the stranger had forgotten Murtagh who had taken the time afforded by Thorn's attack to free himself. The stranger's (for there was no other name for him at the moment) jump had taken him close to Murtagh, who took the opportunity to use magic.

"Letta."

Eragon felt the magic make its way towards the stranger and knew the battle was over. There was no way a single person no matter how strong could resist the magic of a rider and its dragon. However, he was in for a surprise when the stranger muttered a few words under his breath and raised his stick and he was covered in a golden shield of energy not unlike the other two Eragon had seen today. Murtagh's spell crashed against the barrier trying to find a way through.

_So this is the person who saved Hrothgar and Roran._

He heard saphira's voice in his head and gave a mental nod of agreement. His attention however, was drawn as Thorn tried to take this opportunity to attack the stranger. However, Saphira had other ideas as she threw herself at Thorn blocking his path. The two dragons battled on the ground and Eragon watched in horror as Thorn used his strength to topple Saphira and after planting his forelegs on her brought his maw to her neck. Saphira simply gave up with little struggle.

_Saphira, what are you doing. Fight._

Eragon frantically said in her mind as he could not take on a dragon in his state especially since Thorn could kill Saphira at any movement from him. However, he was surprised to hear Saphira answer with a smug tone which seemed out of sorts with the situation.

_Little one. I never wanted to defeat Thorn, I am too weakened anyway to succeed. However, Thorn will not harm me and in this way he can't interfere with the fight between Murtagh and the Stick waver. _

Eragon was stumped by her logic.

_Just..just don't do that again. It seems however, that it was all in vain though._

They looked over at the battle of magic between Murtagh and the stranger and sure enough, the stranger seemed to be in trouble as his bows were drawn and his forehead beaded with sweat though Murtagh didn't look much better either. It seemed sometime in between the battle of magic had transformed into that of the mind and magic. However, suddenly Murtagh's assault stopped.

Eragon looked at the Murtagh and saw the reason. It was a snake which had attacked Murtagh. It seemed that it had snuck up on him when everyone else was fixated on the stranger's battle. Murtagh had beheaded it but it had already bitten him.

"It seems that you have lost Murtagh. Even now the poison moves in your veins and soon it will claim you,"the stranger proclaimed.

Thorn roared and opened his jaw to let a torrent of flames wash upon the stranger. Eragon tried to shout a warning for him to get out of the way, do something but it was too late as the flames had already reached him. Thorn let the flames go for some time before closing his jaw and making his way towards Murtagh. Eragon watched in despair as the flames did not diminish presumably burning the corpse of their helper. He looked at Murtagh.

Murtagh had countered most of the poison though he still appeared weakened. Instead of the happiness he expected to see, Murtagh looked forlorn at the death of the stranger. Eragon was sad but couldn't help but be satisfied that at least today Murtagh would not be able to capture them. He looked back at the raging flames as they died down and couldn't help the exclamation that left him when the stranger was standing in them, apparently unharmed. In fact, he looked better than before though his face was a mask of concentration as the flames were seemingly sucked into him. He could feel Saphira's amazement and see the same expression on Murtagh's face.

"You should try harder next time" he paused," if you get one that is," he said as he brought his stick to his lips and blew towards Murtagh. Flames hotter than Thorn's issued from his lips, or was it from the stick, Eragon mused and made its way towards Thorn and Murtagh.

Murtagh regained his senses enough to mutter a few words but he wasn't fast enough as some flames seemed to reach them as Thorn recoiled. Murtagh was protected by Thorn from most of the heat though some seemed to reach him.

It looked as if Murtagh had finally decided that he had had enough for the day. He jumped onto Thorn's back and they flew away just out of reach of the flames.

"It seems the king's interest in you was warranted, Harry. Next time I will be better prepared and you will be captured and then you will find Uru'baen not as hospitable as before. You have given up victory in siding against the king, hope you find something worth the loss."

Thorn turned and made his towards the Empire's encampment where the soldiers of the empire were retreating. It seemed that on the twins' deaths the Varden had regrouped and pushed them back routing their army. Eragon turned to talk to this Harry when he found him gone.

_Where did he go Saphira? _

_I don't know little one. One moment he was here and just as we looked a the battle below it seems he vanished. He will come back, for some reason I can feel it. But, how are you?_

_I am fine._

Though they both knew he was far from it. His loss coupled with the relevations about his ancestry had left him feeling hollow. It terrified him now thinking how close he had come to being captured. He could feel people trying to contact him with his mind. He dropped his barriers and let Arya in.

_Eragon, how are you? What happened? _He could feel a note of panic in her voice coupled with concern.

_I am fine Arya. The red rider escaped and I think we have a new ally. I will talk when I come back. Just inform Nasuada that it may take some time._

She paused taking in his answer and probably discussing it with Nasuada.

_Nasuada says it is fine. We will be meeting in an hour to discuss the outcome of the battle and would like you to be present._

_I will be there. _Saying this Eragon closed off the connection. He needed time before he talked with others to come to terms with everything that had happened. Meanwhile there were people to be healed after the battle. That should help him think and take his mind off the more unpleasant things.

He checked the plateau once more this time with his magic and his mind to see for the presence of anybody. Finding nothing, he thought for a moment and picked up the sword Murtahgh had discarded. He didn't know why since he definitely wouldn't be using it but he didn't wish to leave it here either. Murtagh had worn this sword when he had first met Eragon and helped him. And today he had discarded it to take up Morzan's blade…he couldn't think of him as his father. It wasn't a good portent for things to come and Saphira agreed with him. Thinking such thoughts he mounted Saphira and they made their way towards the battle field.

**A/N: Hope you like the chapter. Would greatly appreciate if you review, gives motivation you know. Next chapter is mostly Harry POV with Eragon and Arya POV thrown in.****  
><strong>**Oh and future chapters are likely to be shorter though they will mostly be around 3000 words.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am sorry this was so late in coming but I couldn't decide on how to make the magic of the two worlds coexistent without Harry having to relearn everything he knew. I came up with a rough idea a bit of which is in this chapter and I hope that will do. Thinking up a more coherent thing just led me to contradictions so I will not go into much detail. Also, some things in the Potter universe may be hard to explain with this but since the story is taking place in Alagaesia I hope nobody minds. Also, Harry is tending towards super-powered by the standards of wizards of his world but I think in a place where shades exist, dragons can talk and do magic (occasionally) and are mostly magic resistant(otherwise one word from a magic capable elf would have killed them during their war with them), and where Galbatorix has hundreds of Eldunari his power is just fine.  
><strong>

**The standard disclaimer from chapter one applies and it will not be repeated later on in the next chapters.**

**Chapter 2: **

Eragon sighed. He was tired. He had spent the last hour healing people, those that were within his power to help that is – making no distinction between friend and foe. Most of the empire's soldiers were conscripted against their will and did not want to fight. They had families of their own to care for and that is why they had joined the army – Eragon could sympathise. While he himself had never entertained the thought of joining the forces nor had anyone else from Caravahall for that matter they had heard from the merchants about how soldiers came to get new recruits for the king. Apart from the fact that many of these people did not deserve to die, he hoped that saving them could help the Varden be seen as a helping force in the empire rather than an invading one.

Helping the people had given him time to clear his mind and think. He had pondered on what Murtagh had told him and while he was not happy about the revelations made he had come to accept it – though it would take some time before it ceased to bother him. And as he had told Saphira he could be Morzan's son by blood but by mind Garrow, Brom and even Oromis had a far greater hand in shaping him to become who he was today. Saphira's silent agreement and comfort through their link reinforced the fact that he was no different now from what he was a few hours ago and it was he who would shape the man he would become- not some long dead forsworn.

Presently he was making his way towards Nasuada's tent with Roran. He had met up with his cousin and after the initial unpleasantness expressed through a punch to the jaw he had come to know of the circumstances that had brought him here. While Eragon had yet to hear the full story, from what little he could gather Roran had brought the whole village with him in his search for someone who could help him rescue Katrina. He couldn't help but admire his cousin for his tenacity and courage to defy the empire. He looked askance at Roran and even though his stride was weary and his body covered with dust and gore there was a resolute determination about him which Eragon had never seen before- or maybe which had only now shown its presence in the time of Roran's need. As Oromis had once told him _the worth of a person Eragon, is found not when everything is going for them but from how they act when even the fates seem to conspire against them._ It seems that in the ensuing skirmish Roran had come out on top though not unscathed if the way he rolled his shoulder and grimaced was any indication.

Bringing his thoughts back to the meeting that was to take place; from what Arya had told him in their brief conversation it was being held to discuss the outcome of the battle and to see what needed to be done to consolidate their victory - if it could be called that what with the casualties and his loss to Murtagh and near capture. Not for the first time his mind went back to the mysterious figure who had saved him. Apart from the message he had given Arya then he had yet to discuss it with anyone- even Saphira who was herself confused from the familiarity she felt with the stranger's magic. He had wielded magic without words and had done complex spells without much trouble and had even managed to drive away Murtagh who though weakened was a formidable foe. The fight had left him without any doubt as to the stranger's prowess in battle. If anything it had raised questions in his mind as to what exactly he was capable of – given the trick with the fire that he had done and his disappearing act. All in all Eragon was very confused and while he would be the first to admit that his knowledge of magic was not as comprehensive as the rider's of old, his training with Oromis put him far ahead of normal magicians and even then he couldn't figure out how the stranger had accomplished his feats. Under normal circumstances he would have been pondering Murtagh's abnormal strength but he was a rider and though he was far too powerful for a normal rider and had trained even less than Eragon, his powers could be attributed to the secrets which Galbatorix may have shared with him but the stranger was a dilemma. _If only Oromis had shared some more of the secrets of the riders' maybe I would know more and could have given a better fight _he thought somewhat bitterly.

_Your loss is making you unreasonable, little one. Stop these thoughts before they take root and poison your mind against our masters. We are on the same side, and if they haven't told us something we must not have been ready for it. Too much power at once can twist the mind Eragon, you have only to look at Murtagh to know that, _Saphira reminded him.

_I know Saphira, it is just that he defeated me so easily and that man, even he could put up a better fight despite not being a rider. How am I to fight against Galbatorix if I can't even defeat Murtagh who has but a fraction of his powers? _For the first time since the fight Eragon voiced his fears.

_It is not always the one with the power who wins the fight Eragon. Remember Brom's words. We may have lost today but we can learn and next time we will triumph. And think we may even have a powerful ally. Don't be disheartened that the stranger fared better; after all we did tire Murtagh out before he fought the stranger and something tells me that his young looks are hiding his true power and maybe even his age –for all we know he could be an old elf and that is why he was familiar to me – I may have been in contact with him while I was an egg._

Like always Saphira with her logic and instincts had managed to sooth some of his fears if not remove them completely and the fact that the stranger could be an old elf had not entered his mind. After all elves could change their appearance as he had found out at the Blood oath celebrations. However, his thoughts were brought to a halt as they had nearly reached Nasuada's pavilion and Eragon still had no idea as to how he would explain his loss to a new rider and the stranger's mysterious powers.

_Don't fret little one. Tell them the truth and let them make of it what they will. And they should know better than to question my rider's abilities_ she finished with a growl.

Roran who was beside him jumped at the growl but to his credit did nothing else though his eyes showed a hint of fear.

_Don't be afraid, nest-mate of my hatchling you have nothing to fear from me._ Saphira projected to Roran who looked amused at the term used to address him and Eragon. _Nest mate, hatchling_ he mouthed to Eragon from where Saphira couldn't see, or so he thought.

_Don't make me change my mind _Saphira said with a hint of a growl as she brought her head to Roran's level with a small trail of smoke escaping her nostrils. Eragon could pick out the small trace of amusement in her thoughts but he doubted Roran could, and he watched with a barely restrained smile as Roran paled. Saphira could be very intimidating when she wanted to – she was a dragon after all.

_Now play nice Saphira, I doubt Nasuada would be happy if you ate someone who helped finish of the twins. _Eragon said playing along.

_I will for now but I have first rights to him after the meeting._

Eragon couldn't help himself when he saw the panicked look on Roran's face. He burst out laughing. Roran turned an incredulous glare at him and then knowing he had been had he too let a hint of a smile appear on his face, which was recovering from his shock and was now a bit red from embarrassment as he had fallen for the trick.

"That should teach you never to get on the bad side of any dragon", Eragon said and from the looks of it Roran agreed with the sentiment.

However, it seemed the time for jokes was over as they had reached their destination. Eragon prepared himself mentally for what was no doubt to be a very exhausting and trying meeting. Giving Roran a nod reassuring him that he was indeed welcome to the meeting _or at least to the part of it that dealt with Eragon and his heritage, _he added mentally. He pushed aside the flaps and stepped into the tent. His eyes were drawn to the argument, if you could call it that, which was taking place in the middle of the tent.

Nasuada was sitting on the edge of the table while a maid removed her armour which was crusted with blood and grime. Her wounds had been healed and from what he could gather before she noticed him, she was trying to convince Arya that they should send some warriors and magicians across the river to the plateau to check on Eragon. Arya was impassive while she tried to convince Nasuada otherwise.

It was in the middle of this argument that he walked in and was noticed by Arya first and then by Nasuada when she turned to look at what had caught Arya's attention. She rushed forward on seeing him and threw her arms around him.

"I thought that you had been injured badly in the fight with the rider when we saw him fly off with no sign of you. Arya told me that she had contacted you and that you were fine but, well... you have a habit of ignoring your injuries. The time for the meeting had come and you were still not here so I kind of assumed the worst", she said looking contrite.

It was only now that Eragon looked at the others in the tent. There was Nar Garzhvog still bleeding from some of his wounds-Eragon knew now that unless it was life threatening, the Urgals preferred to let a wound heal by itself, it was considered a sign of bravery and a reminder of the mistakes made during battle; King Hrothgar who was beaming at him- he still assumed that it was Eragon who saved his life; King Orrin- who too it seemed had seen his share of battle, Eragon knew he was a very capable fighter but with his interest in odd things it was hard to imagine him as such and of course Arya representing the elves- though she looked as if she could wait forever, Eragon having spent time with her could see the hint of curiosity in the way she held herself.

The tent had quieted while he was looking around and everyone was waiting for him to say something. It was only then that Eragon remembered his cousin – Roran was standing there with a hint of nervousness. Eragon beckoned him forward.

"I would like to introduce my cousin, Roran. Roran, Lady Nasuada, leader of the Varden; This is Arya Svit-kona the elves Ambassador, King Orin, ruler of Surda; Nar Garzhvog, leader of the Urgals and King Hrothgar of the dwarves and my kin by adoption into Dûrgrimst Ingeitum."

Roran bowed to each one of them in turn, though he showed some distrust for the Garzhvog it was apparent only to Eragon due to his familiarity with Roran. Each of them returned his greeting.

Eragon then mentioned how Roran and the entire village of Carvahall had defied the empire and had come to the fight aboard the Dragon Wing. He also mentioned Roran's part in the killing of the twins. On a nudge from Eragon, Roran told how he had stopped them.

"Indeed. Then the Varden are in your debt. You showed exceptional courage in going against the twins. Who knows how much damage they could have done, before Arya or Eragon could confront them? Though not much I can promise food and ration for everyone aboard your ship and healing for the sick and injured among them. "

Roran bowed again. "Thank you Lady Nasuada."

"If I had the time I would have you tell the full story of how you came to defy the Empire and why. The bare facts as given by Eragon promise an extraordinary tale. As it is I would like to learn of it in the future, especially if as I suspect it has to do with Eragon. However, now we have more urgent matters to deal with, especially your cousin's role in saving you from the twins and from what King Hrothgar says in saving him from the rogue rider. "

"Yes Eragon, you have been very modest in mentioning your contributions today. I dare say that you have prevented the dwarves from withdrawing from the battle. I would very much like to know the magic you employed today, the likes of which I confess I have neither seen nor heard tell of." It was Arya who had said this in a tone he had never heard from her and before Eragon could reply her query was met with a surprising retort from Hrothgar.

"Do not question him as if you question a child, Arya. He has more than proved his worth today in battle and does not deserve an interrogation for his pains."

The tension in the tent skyrocketed. Nasuada decided to intervene before things got worse.

"Roran, you have made a long journey. It would be better if you rested while we discussed the battle."

Eragon had wanted Roran here, when he told everybody about the battle but now that he thought upon it, Nasuada might want to keep their new ally(he had helped him escape Murtagh) a secret and Roran for all the skill in fighting he could have picked up, didn't know how to protect his mind. So, Eragon resigned himself to the fact that he would have to give him a rundown of the battle with the agreed facts later on. Saphira agreed with him and so he turned to Roran.

"I will meet with you later. Meanwhile you can get everyone aboard your ship some supplies and have them set up your tents, Lady Nasuada can send a messenger with you to get the supplies."

Saying this he turned to Nasuada. She agreed and sent for Jarsha. He was given the instructions and was sent with Roran. Having this attended to Eragon turned back to the people in the tent. It was Arya who spoke first.

"I apologize if my words seemed harsh. It seems even a hundred years past, some things still test my patience. I have been taught by the elves best and yet I couldn't recognize the magic Eragon performed. While I may not be privy to the secrets of the Riders, I do know about their capabilities. What Eragon did, challenged my knowledge and so, I let my curiosity win over common sense."

Hrothgar looked satisfied at these words. "I too must apologise for my words, Arya Svit-kona. Eragon saved my life and ..."

On a mental nudge from Saphira, Eragon decided that now would be the best time to intervene.

"Actually that isn't quite true."

The attention of the whole tent was now fixed on him. It wasn't polite to interrupt the king but Eragon thought it better to do so than to let the misconception stand.

"And what exactly does that mean Eragon. I was standing there when your shield took the red beam that was meant for me and though I don't know how, since you were fighting the red rider then, your cousin confessed to the golden shield protecting him too. If not you then who, since Arya was too far off to help either me or your cousin."

"I think it best if Fire-sword starts his story from the beginning. Otherwise we may never get a true account of what happened."This time it was Nar Garzhvog who had said it and if anyone was surprised by his wise words they hid it very well. Eragon for his part knew from the foray into the Kull's mind that he was a great thinker and leader.

Nasuada too was thinking along the same lines as the mighty Kull.

"Let, us all sit down for the tale for the story must be a long one and we are all weary from battle. I shall order some food brought in for all of us."

And so they did. Some refreshments were brought in and Eragon began to recount the battle from the time the Red Rider had entered it.

POV Change

Harry Potter stood on the top of the nearby plateau where the recent battle between the riders had taken place. He had sent Hedwig to follow the Red dragon and rider and too see if the empire's army were truly retreating, of course he had put several spells of invisibility and hiding on her. He kept an eye on the blue dragon, Saphira and her rider, Eragon while he ruminated on his situation and what he had to do now. So thinking, he sat down and waited for Hedwig to return.

Harry had planned to remain below the notice of the king for a longer time. When he had come to Alagaesia...or was sent here would be a better description, he had been told that there was a violent King ruling the lands. While he did not plan to sit by and do nothing as it was not in his nature to do so, he had nevertheless planned to fight from the shadows and help where needed, thus remaining anonymous. However, this plan had gone to hell almost as soon as he came here because he had the misfortune to appear in Urubaen- he had been told that he would appear there due to some anomaly of magic that was in Urubaen. What he had not been told however, was that he might appear in the bowels of the King's castle, though he thought it was more due to the unpredictability of such magic than any intention on the part of his sender.

Harry smiled at that last thought- how much he had changed. At different times in his life he would have reacted differently to the situation he was put in. At one point he would have simply dealt with it with no thought as to why he was put in such a situation, at another he would have immediately suspected the person who sent him there with no thought to the contrary, at another he would have accepted whatever Hermione told him. Now, he simply looked at the circumstances and logically thought of the conclusion. He smiled at the thought of how anyone would have reacted in his youth had he told them that he was thinking logically. He had been very impulsive then- he still was, but now his instincts were tempered with forethought –_well at least in most cases_ he thought chuckling to himself. His thoughts were drawn back to his actions in the castle.

He had tried to evade capture but as his luck would have it he had run into Murtagh and a couple of the king's magicians in what he learnt was a forbidden portion of the castle, open only to a few. Had he been in a better condition he would have been able to fight his way out or even better he would have been able to avoid the confrontation altogether. However, his journey to this place had tired him and his magic was at an all time low lowering his reflexes and alertness even though they were still a match for most non-magic folk. He had fought though but between his tired state and his reluctance to use his magic- partly because he wanted to conserve it for a blow he was sure would land and partly because he wanted to keep it a secret he had been captured easily and taken to the king.

At that point his weariness and reluctance to use magic was a plus. Since his magic was pretty much exhausted, he could in his tired state mask its presence from the king giving the appearance of a normal person. The king had questioned Harry as to how he had gotten into the castle and even invaded his mind to test his truthfulness. The king was strong, stronger than Voldemort had ever been but Harry had decades of practice in the mind arts and his powers seemed to have increased in this world. He doubted though that he could have held easily against a full on assault by the king in his state or even when fully rested. However, thanks to a technique he had learnt he was able to mask the presence of his shields so that the king thought he had full reign over his mind. He was very intrigued by Harry's answer that he remembered nothing before waking up in the castle- Harry could think of nothing else and it was for the best since even though Harry had a rough idea of this world he did not know enough to fake a life here. Harry thought that he would get off scot free but it seemed that something about him had caught the King's interest probably the unique tenor of his mind so unlike those of normal people which despite his best efforts Harry couldn't hide completely. He was therefore ordered to stay in the castle. He was not kept in a prison though he had a couple of guards following him the entire time. He was thankful that he had had the presence of mind to change his eyes once he figured out where he was or else the king might have mistaken him for an elf many of whom used magic to change their appearance- or so he had been told.

The king had put some basic but powerful spells on him to prevent him from leaving the boundaries of the castle and his guards did not allow him to go into any forbidden area. Upon examination Harry also found his food laced with a fairly powerful potion that were to inhibit his magic. Luckily such potions did not affect Harry. Now, Harry knew that the king suspected he had magic, though he doubted the king knew that Harry knew about it and could use it nor did he think the king suspected his true power. From the spells on him Harry could guess the level of power the king expected Harry to have and though it was fairly powerful for normal magicians in his world and here (as Harry had been told about some of this world's magic before coming here), it was but a fraction of what Harry was capable of especially as his power had increased after coming here.

Harry could have broken through the king's spells once he had regained his strength mainly because they were meant to stop crude bursts of magic not focused ones. He could also have escaped without breaking them since the spells did not stop any of the alternate methods of transportation Harry was capable of. As it was Harry had decided that this would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the king. His first test had been to see if he could mask the presence of his full magic from the king, even though he was sure he could do it – since his wand and other things were kept in shrunken necklace around his neck which the king didn't notice in their first meeting, it didn't do any harm to be careful. So, as he gained back his abilities Harry kept a close eye on his captors and examined the spells binding him for any change that might signal the king fortifying them. If the king was able to sense his powers Harry wanted to make a quick escape.

It seemed however, that the Harry's fears were unfounded as the king didn't suspect his powers though Harry was careful enough to let some of it be seen since it seems that the king had sensed it in his first meeting. Galbatorix was very cordial to Harry and asked how his stay in the castle had been. Harry suspected that the king having noted he was somehow different wanted Harry in his service and Harry had to give it to him – he was more persuasive than Voldemort had ever been and had it not been for the forewarning and some of his own esoteric skills Harry would have fallen for the act – hook, line and sinker. As it was Harry had given the impression of being totally taken in by the King's talk. The first meeting was filled with trivialities and nothing important was discussed, though he could feel the probes that the King sent at him at irregular intervals. It seemed the king didn't find anything, as Harry was sent back to his room.

The next morning Harry had been met by Murtagh who told him that the King believed Harry to be special and that he wanted him trained. Murtagh was to be his trainer and for the first few weeks he would be tutored in the basics of the Ancient Language while simultaneously trying to make a stone float. Harry had been able to fake the right amount of shock and disbelief on being told that he was capable of magic and of gratitude towards the king for allowing him to be trained by a Dragon Rider.

It was in those few weeks that Harry had learnt more about Murtagh. At first Murtagh was quite frustrated at being told to babysit Eragon. However, that soon turned to curiosity and a hint of respect when he saw how quickly Harry was picking up the language. Harry himself had been amazed. While his previous knowledge of the language was not nil as he had told Murtagh, it was only enough to ensure that he wasn't fooled into binding himself to something he did not want. However, even that didn't explain the speed of his learning; Harry suspected that it was one of those things that he was told would change about him. Maybe he had been given an instinctive knowledge of the language and while he couldn't speak it like parseltongue, he could learn it very fast.

Harry still was thankful for the fact that he didn't have to spend much time learning before he could understand his opponents spells. It had also given him and in with Murtagh who now believed Harry to be different though he still didn't know why the king was interested in him. Over the next few weeks they had talked and struck up a friendship.

Harry asked him of the time before he had met the king. Murtagh had been reluctant initially but had slowly opened up to Harry. He had told him about Tonrac, about Eragon and Saphira, about Brom and about Nasuada of him he spoke with obvious affection. Harry with his abilities knew which part of the stories were changed to suit the King's needs as he could sense Murtagh's frustration while relaying those parts but he also felt the positive impact those stories had on Murtagh as he seemed more cheerful after one of their talks. Harry had also met Thorn who had seemed intrigued by him and Harry could tell that the odd kinship the dragon felt for him was puzzling Thorn. Harry knew the reason but was not about to disclose it. His time with Thorn had been limited as Murtagh had wanted some time alone with Thorn and Harry was loath to intrude on that time as the king allowed it only if Murtagh did well.

As a strong gust of wind blew away a few of the clouds, a ray of light broke through and Harry was roused from his thoughts and had to cover his eyes to protect himself from the gdlare before the clouds covered the sun again. There was still no sign of Hedwig though she was unhurt as far as Harry could tell from their familiar bond. Though not as strong as the one between Dragons and riders since theirs was almost a melding of the souls, Harry's bond with Hedwig was strong by the standards of familiar bonds in his own world. Once in this world it had only strengthened. He had been told before being sent here that he would meet her here. The few weeks he spent under the King's presence he had had to send very strong feelings to Hedwig to keep her away as he didn't want the King to have anything to hold over him. She had not been very impressed when he had met her afterwards and Harry had to spend days catering to her every whim whether it be preening her feathers which she usually did herself or her insistence to ride on his shoulders even in the vicinity of towns and cities or to find a suitable alternative to her favourite owl treats. Harry still hadn't found one.

As he thought of his bond with Hedwig, he shuddered to think how Murtagh would have felt on being kept apart from Thorn as the King had methods to block their mental communication. While he couldn't do it fully he could do enough that they barely felt the presence of the other- as if they were miles apart. The king didn't do this often but enough to keep them in line. Harry felt sympathetic towards them and had done his best to ease the feeling of loss for Murtagh whenever he could knowing that in these circumstances pity neither helped nor was wanted. Harry had truly enjoyed his time with Murtagh and was saddened that he had been forced to fight him today. He cursed the King for using good people to do his dirty work. As it was, Murtagh it seemed had fallen more into the King's grasp by practicing the things that had given Harry a clue that not everything was as it should be. He remembered when he first suspected that things were not right.

Harry had been interested in the way Murtagh practiced magic. He had got permission to see him sometimes, explaining that it might help him somewhat in understanding his own magic. He had been told before coming here that magic in this world was somewhat different than what he was used to and that while he would be able to perform most of what people here did, most of what he did would remain close to impossible to people here. The reason was left to him to find out. So, Harry was really curious to learn this new form of magic. Initially, what he saw excited him. Due to the bonding of the Ancient language with magic there were possibilities here that were not available in his home world. For one the magic here was more versatile than his own and spells could be made on the fly if one had sufficient knowledge of the Ancient Language and skill with magic both of which Harry had. Back home one had to have a very good control over their magic to do something without knowledge of a spell to do it and then too it was limited to things that were easily discernible and could be visualised. He had tried some small spells in the Ancient Language and had succeeded. He had of course asked Murtagh if there were any laws before doing so. He had been told of the laws that Murtagh had been told by Eragon – that magic cost energy, that doing things far off took more energy, that doing a lot of magic at once may kill a person and ones that the king had taught him – not to make things absolute, etc. All the spells Harry had tried he had done in the privacy of his room as he had been able to know from Murtagh's stories of Eragon that it took months for some people to access their magic and he didn't want to stand out more than he did. Also, the King might have wanted him to swear an oath of loyalty if he showed signs of magic and Harry would be forced to flee and he didn't want that because apart from the information about the king that he could glean from the around him, he had come to enjoy himself here despite the danger.

After some experimenting Harry had concluded that the people in this world did not use pure magic but simply used magic to redirect energy mixed with the magic in their blood. Harry had used this type of magic before and it was the basis of some of the most powerful healing spells most of which were classified dark in his world but Harry had long since forgone those labels. The mixing of the life force could theoretically allow them to do many things that were deemed illegal in his world but it also exhausted them sooner. He had wanted to know why they didn't use pure magic but his question was answered in ways he didn't want partially by Murtagh and the rest he had found out himself later.

While seeing Murtagh practice there were some things he had seen that while it would appear normal to anyone else, filled Harry with dread. While others would pass it off as the ability of riders Harry knew better. Having been told of the abilities of the Dragon Riders and of the magicians Harry knew that some of what Murtagh could do was not of this world. It seemed that sending Harry to this world had not been random and that he could only travel to Urubaen where the king was which Harry had taken to be a coincidence no longer appeared to be so.

After this discovery Harry had resolved to disappear as soon as possible especially since his next meeting with the king was coming up in a few days. He had been told to avoid the king and that this world needed his help. Harry had ignored the first suggestion when he had seen an opportunity to collect more information but now Galbatorix's interest in him had taken on a different meaning. Harry had initially thought that Galbatorix only thought him to be a more powerful magician but after what he had found out he began to doubt it.

The only problems that kept Harry from escaping were Murtagh and Thorn. Harry knew that they were essentially good and Thorn was little more than a baby by Harry's standards. If possible Harry wanted to save them. In their last meeting when the three were together, Harry had told them to trust him. Thorn and Murtagh entered his mind as they always did to talk but this time Harry entered theirs telling them that he had finally managed it after thinking on how their minds felt in his. The two had been ecstatic at his success and had congratulated him. Harry had taken the opportunity to examine their minds feeling guilty about doing it without their permission. He had tried to sense the bonds he suspected bound them to the Galbatorix. He had found two powerful bonds and other suggestions tied to one of them. The bond which stood alone, he knew was the one that bound them together as it was of very deep and powerful magic and resonated with love, caring, friendship and with fierceness and protectiveness and other things that couldn't be described. The other felt similar to a magically enforced vow or a contract, although it seemed to be made of their own magic and bound to their very essence. Harry didn't even try to break it knowing that even if he succeeded he would likely drive them insane.

As much as he didn't want to he had to leave them there. He had withdrawn his probe but the change in his feelings couldn't be hidden completely. Somehow, Murtagh had guessed that something had changed and that day they had all spent reminiscing over their time together. That night when Harry entered his room he found a map of Alagesia waiting on his bunk. Attached to it was a note that gave the current position of the Varden and though Harry couldn't identify the writing he knew who was responsible for it. He felt guilty for what he was about to do but he did not have the means to keep Murtagh and Thorn captive even if he took them away. He had left the castle that night after breaking all of the King's spells.

As he looked on the battlefield he felt his eyes had become watery and it had nothing to do with the wind that was blowing pieces of dirt with it. The king would pay for what he was putting Murtagh and Thorn through. Even today he could sense regret and guilt in them when they were forced to fight Eragon and him though sometimes they were overpowered by hate and anger. The magic was beginning to affect them and if they weren't released soon they would succumb to it.

He saw as Saphira and Eragon met someone. He was concerned when he saw the person in question punch Eragon but chuckled when it was followed up with a hug. They were making their way towards the command tent, probably to give a summary of the battle. The greeting given to Eragon reminded Harry of the times when he used to receive it from his friends, especially Hermione, when he went on one of his adventures. He remembered how Poppy used to berate him all the while treating his injuries or how Hermione would rant and rave at his foolishness before demanding he tell her everything about his adventure. Her curiosity had remained unchanged as she grew older, if anything it grew with her age. So, lost was Harry in his thoughts that he didn't see Eragon entering the tent with his cousin, or the maid that left soon after or Roran leaving with a small boy seconds after said boy had entered the tent.

He was still lost in some of those fond memories when he felt Hedwig returning. Expanding his magical senses he located her using their bond and then removed the invisibility spells he had put on her leaving the protection spells on. She sent him images of Thorn and Murtagh flying away and landing at the encampment of the empire. She also showed images of Murtagh treating the burns Thorn had following which he entered a tent. A man presumably a healer went in after him. After some time Murtagh came out looking better though a bit pale and after some quick words with someone who looked like he was in charge he mounted Thorn and flew away- towards Urubaen if Harry were to guess. He could only imagine how the King would punish them for failing to capture Eragon and Saphira and also of the news that they were beaten by a mere magician- after all that is what the King thought him to be. This was one thing he had discovered Hedwig could do now. Where before she had been very intelligent for an owl, now she was almost human in her thoughts and could send him images and feelings to communicate. He got a feeling of irritation at him calling her nearly human and then a flash of images of Eragon, Saphira and the command tent below.

"Ok, I am sorry girl, You are as intelligent as the best of us. And yes, I will get on with thinking of what to do."

He felt her smugness at correcting him. He griped playfully about scary birds and then looked for Saphira and Eragon while dodging her nip at his ear as she settled on his shoulder.

Harry couldn't see Eragon anywhere though Saphira was curled up outside the command tent so he guessed that the meeting would have started. Now that he had met and fought Murtagh he knew the king would know about his powers. As much as he wanted to say otherwise there was no point in staying hidden anymore. Leaving aside the fact that he could help much more with the information the Varden could give him, there was also the Galbatorix to consider-the king would now be looking for him actively. While Harry could defend himself against most threats there were some he didn't know if he could win against alone – shades being the foremost among them. Also, he was largely ignorant of the methods used to trace people in this world and knew only the basics of scrying. Murtagh had hinted that much more was possible with an accomplished spell caster like Galbatorix. Harry loath as he was to admit it was vulnerable alone. He would have to meet the Varden and what better time than now when they were discussing him. They would have had only positive things to hear about him and would not have come up with any plans for him. He could at the present moment surprise them. He could give an oath to prove his truthfulness. Yes, it was time to meet the Varden.

**A/N: I was hoping that Harry would meet the characters in this chapter but as it was this chapter is quite long and a lot of time has passed since my last update. So I thought to cut this short so that you have something to read. I didn't plan on giving Harry's back story but decided to explain it anyway as Harry had to be doing something in the one hour Eragon was healing people. **

**Thanks to those who reviewed. The ratio of reviews to hits and visitors is very small, so I hope more of you press that tab below- helps me know how I am doing. **

**Next chapter: Harry gate crashes the meeting of the Varden – how I still haven't decided.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the late update but I won't be giving any excuses as you have probably read them all from one writer or another. Unfortunately, I cannot promise that things will improve on that front since I am really busy right now. So, I hope you can bear with me. On with the chapter then...**

Chapter 3:

Harry frowned as he thought of how he should approach the Varden. He had never planned to reveal himself today and when Murtagh's spell had removed his invisibility he had been very shocked. The spell he had used shouldn't have been countered by such a generic counter-spell. But then that was to be expected, he was in a different world and though magic was the same everywhere, the ways of practicing it were different- even where he came from he had found people channeling magic in varied ways- each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. So it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise if some spells reacted differently here as opposed to where he came from, he had been told as much. Most of the magic he had tried on his journey till here had worked, he had even at times practiced the magic of this place using the Ancient Language and everything had happened as it was supposed to. Now that he thought about it, things like transfiguration and conjuration or which involved manipulating matter worked better in his way of doing magic while charms, healing, and manipulation of living matter, etc. were more potent when using the magic of this world. Murtagh being able to remove his invisibility also gave strength to this theory- though Harry guessed it would have cost Murtagh a lot of energy to do so.

Apart from this broad classification he couldn't tell much since most complex spells of attack or defense didn't fall into these broad classifications. There were charms to effect non-living things and transfiguration spells which affected living matter. He had no idea how they would be affected while using the two different forms of magic. Also being alone he had never had the chance of pitting the two forms of magic against one another. And though the broad framework helped in this regard it did no good for individual spells against one another. He would need to find out more and preferably in non-life threatening situations. After his talk with the Varden he would have to find a competent spell caster who could help him with this.

He recalled what he knew of the better spell casters of the Varden- Eragon would be the best choice for him, since he could be expected to protect himself should anything go wrong. The elf, named Arya whom Murtagh had rescued could also be a good choice, if she was here, since Murtagh had told him that she had been better at magic than Eragon and more experienced. He may not be able to work with these two since they were both important people who might not have the time for him but Harry was sure that he could also teach them a thing or two. He would be willing to show some of his power so that they believed he was worth their time. A demonstration would guarantee him being assigned a competent spell caster, if only to make sure that he wasn't doing anything to harm the Varden. Anyway, he was still getting his head around the fact that the elves here were independent and beautiful and wise and that dwarves were fierce warriors and not guitar strumming message carriers. However, he first had to gain their trust before he could even approach either of them or any others for help. So, for now he put his academic thoughts to rest and brought his mind back to the matter at hand.

He did not know much about the Varden other than what he had been able to divine from Murtagh's stories. He tried to recall all the conversations that he had had with Murtagh that mentioned the Varden or anything about his travels with Eragon. Though there were a lot of stories, the information in them was limited since the majority of the time Murtagh had been with the Varden he had been kept under watch with no freedom of movement and Eragon had only started trusting Murtagh with the important things near the end of the journey. At that time Eragon had not met the Varden so any information about them was simply hearsay. So, he really had very little information about them and couldn't even begin to predict their reactions to anything he might do. One thing he knew for sure was that the Varden needed him, for a lot of reasons not the least of which was the fact that the King had far more magicians in his employ than the Varden and from what he gathered the only reason the Varden was able to exist was because Galbatorix for some reason wasn't willing to fly out to meet them in battle. If what Harry suspected was true, in the past few weeks Galbatorix and even Murtagh had become far bigger threats and the Varden needed him now more than ever- even if they didn't realise it... yet.

While he was thinking this Harry was making his way towards the main tent of the Varden shrouded in his invisibility. Hedwig was flying high up in the sky while he himself was flying just a few feet above the heads of the Varden. He had decided that a direct approach would be best if he wanted to get the trust of the Varden, so he would remove his invisibility just short of the main tent and then state his wish to help the Varden. He didn't expect them to take him at his word but then who would? He would need to be convincing and he was willing to give oaths but he wouldn't do anything like Eragon who Murtagh had heard had sworn fealty to Nasuada- the new leader of the Varden- even if it was mostly symbolic.

He had nearly reached the tent of the Varden when there was some sort of commotion in the tent and several things happened almost all at once. He felt a great amount of magic being used and some of it was similar to his own magic- i.e. it was pure magic though it was crudely focused. This was followed by a roar from Saphira and simultaneously Harry saw a few figures materialising in front of the command tent. From their heights and build they looked like dwarves, but unlike those who had fought in the recent battle they were clad fully in black and had thick cowls covering most of their faces and heads leaving only the eyes uncovered, but what drew his attention the most were the swords they held - they were pure black but unlike their clothes the swords seemed magical, almost like they sucked in all the light around them, leaving a black aura around the blades.

Unfazed by their sudden visibility one of the black clad dwarves took something long out of his pocket and thrust it into the ground near the tent. Harry saw the top of the staff held a gem which started pulsing before the staff disappeared from view though Harry could still feel it and the numerous protections surrounding it. There was a flux in magical energy as the air shimmered and all sound was blocked for a while before it returned- sound wards and illusion wards Harry realised. As his mind connected the dots he realised that this was an assassination attempt, which the people in the tent had somehow discovered and the previous magic had been cast to make the dwarves visible. The leader of the dwarves was just making his way into the tent when he was forcefully ejected and sent tumbling into his companions. As he looked on a figure exited the tent with a snarl on her face- Arya the elf. She was followed by others – an Urgal, a dwarf- who Harry took to be Hrothgar, and a man and a woman- probably Nasuada. They fell upon their enemies with a fury Harry had rarely seen.

Before Harry could do so much as think about interfering or of the absence of Eragon he heard a pained roar and saw that Saphira was fighting nine of the dwarves herself. One of them had gotten through her defences and had landed a cut with the enchanted sword on her. She breathed fire on him which pushed him back but left him unharmed- he was probably protected against it. Harry took this all in with barely a glance for as he heard the roar of pain, something within him responded to it and without any conscious thought he had started to make his way towards that battle. Harry subdued the urge to simply enter the battle that had suddenly risen within him and drew his sword in his right hand and his wand in his left. He thought about fighting while he was still invisible but that would increase the chances of Saphira hitting him by mistake, so as he reached near the battle, he dropped his invisibility and with a roar charged at the surprised dwarves who probably had not expected that any help would come to Saphira due to the sound and illusion wards.

Harry did not give them time to get over their surprise as he fired stunning spells at all of the attackers and then moved forward to engage with his sword. The stunning spells splashed against them and though it didn't have the expected effect, it did daze them a bit from the drain giving Harry some time. Four of the dwarves came forward to deal with him while the other five turned back to Saphira. Harry had not been idle after sending the stunning spells. He had an inkling that the direct spells wouldn't work and so he had set upon using some indirect spells.

As the dwarves moved to engage him, the ground beneath them turned into quick sand. Two of them were unable to avoid it and were struggling to free themselves while Harry dealt with the two who were moving fast and managed to evade it. It turned out this was a good thing since the dwarves with whom Harry was fighting had speed that nearly matched his and from what he knew of dwarves it was clearly magically enhanced. Even so, while Harry was not the best swordsman he had some experience using it against beings like vampires and he still had the advantage in strength. He blocked and parried his opponent's slashes and while mixing in some of his own. He used high strength strikes alternating with some fast ones so that his opponents were pushed back and he had to deal with only one of them for most of the time. He managed to land a few small cuts on them but none of them were at any important places. However, the magic of the sword ensured that even these cuts slowed them down so Harry had a progressively easier time of defending but he knew this couldn't continue for he would be hard pressed to defend against three of them at once, especially with their swords being enchanted to do Merlin knows what and a third had nearly pulled himself out of the sand.

Harry seeing an opening kicked one of his opponents in the chest sending him backward while firing some high strength cutting curses against the other. They pushed him back and some effect of the curses managed to bleed through his protections littering his body with cuts. Knowing it would work Harry started firing more cutting and blasting curses at a faster rate forcing them back and putting some distance between him and the attackers to take stock of the situation. His opponents nearly matched him in speed and strength and were now more wary of him as his final cursing spree had clearly left them with cuts and bruises even if it couldn't have its full effect. One of his blasting curses had found its mark in the head of the one dwarf still struggling in the sand and the force had broken his neck. Saphira had knocked two of her attackers down. She was also moving slowly from the small cuts that the dwarves had managed to get on her body, so the wounds though superficial were painful and lent credence to his theory that the blades had some magic in them meaning under no circumstances was he to get a cut from one of them. He had to end the fight quickly and remain out of range of their swords. So, getting into another close fight was out of the question.

He waved his wand and concentrated and suddenly there were multiple copies of him in front of the dwarves while simultaneously disillusioning himself. They closed rank as he sent his copies forward to attack them. The dwarves expected one of the illusions coming forward to be him and so focused their attention on the attacking illusions. Taking advantage of their closeness and distractions, Harry conjured three metallic stakes which he then sent at high speeds towards the dwarves. They realised their mistake too late. Only one of them saw the coming stake in time to dodge it. The other two fell with a stake to the chest and the shoulder respectively. The remaining dwarf was on the ground looking around and trying to get his bearings. Without giving him any time Harry made the ground around the dwarf to rise to bind his arms and legs and then dropped his disillusionment to see if he could help Saphira.

She had taken care of two more attackers; both were on the ground with bloodied bodies. The third was keeping out of her range. Instead of trying a direct curse, Harry peppered the area around him with blasting curses, the shrapnel and debris from which was enough to knock him out. Harry bound him to the ground and as an added precaution he did the same for the one who had taken the stake to his shoulder, though the stake had disappeared after hitting its mark leaving him bleeding freely and unconscious. Seeing that Saphira was very still, he assumed that she was talking to Eragon and the fact that she wasn't racing towards him meant that they too had taken care of the attackers.

Harry took the opportunity expand his mind and magic to check the area for any remaining threats while simultaneously checking himself for any injuries. He found nothing in both cases. He banished a small rock at the head of the still conscious assassin knocking him out- just to be safe and then conjured bandages for the one who was still bleeding. It was standard Auror practice after a battle to keep as many people alive as they could for questioning. Though he was not in his world anymore that he had allowed his training to take over as soon as the fight started.

_The fight was over. _He thought as he sent a burst of magic through his sword to speed up its cleaning and then he sheathed it. He kept his wand up though just in case he had missed something.

He turned to Saphira when he felt a foreign and vast mind touch his own. He recognized it as it was similar to Thorn's mind and acknowledged Saphira by pulling back his outermost barriers. The feeling of her mind was ferocious and gentle at the same time.

_Thank you. _He heard a voice say in his mind. He replied with a visible nod not knowing what else to say to her.

_Don't bother with the others, their fight is already over. They are all fine and waiting for us. Arya recognized that the blades were cursed and warned the others who avoided it. If I may ask, why have you changed your eyes so, Harry?_

Harry felt with his magic and found that with his loss of concentration, his eyes had returned to their normal state- with vertical slits like those of a snake or dragon. For some reason he couldn't keep his eyes in a changed state without a small bit of magic flowing into them unlike the rest of his body and even then it felt odd. It must be due to the magical nature of how he got them. Seeing no point in either lying or changing them back he decided to tell her the truth. It would be a relief to be able to keep them in their normal state as he had better vision that way.

_They are in their normal state, now. When we met on the plateau was when I had changed it. How I got them is a long story, which I may share later. How are your wounds?_

_Painful, though for a creature such as me it is not dangerous. The magic keeps it from healing as fast as it should. Eragon will heal it when I get to him. And you should keep your eyes as they are- you shouldn't have to hide your true self here._

Harry smiled at her reply and nodded gratefully to show that he had heard her answer and understood the meaning behind it- that he was welcome here. Her reply reminded him of how Thorn was so full of himself and how Murtagh used to tease him about it. His thoughts turned back to Saphira. She had not allowed him to heal her but that was to be expected. The bond between dragon and rider was strong and a bonded dragon rarely let anyone except their rider tend to them. While Saphira trusted him, as she had initiated mental contact- something it had taken her a lot of time to do with Murtagh, she wouldn't let him heal her without her rider, at least not until he had proven himself more fully. He refrained from asking why she had growled when speaking Eragon's name though, it was none of his business and he didn't want to get between the dragon and her rider.

If Eragon couldn't heal Saphira, then Harry would offer his help. He didn't know how much the people of this world knew about cursed wounds- after all from what Murtagh had told him, most of the fights were decided by either swords or a battle of the minds arts and magic was only a last recourse. Harry was still amazed at how common the mind arts were among magician's here.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Saphira go completely still conversing with someone in her mind. He noticed however, when she touched his mind again.

_It seems that magical artefact of some kind was used to cast illusions to prevent others from helping us and now is preventing us from leaving the immediate vicinity of the tent along with stopping all mental contact. The others are trying to remove or destroy it now and might need my help. If you would lead the way and don't even think of disappearing this time._

Any thoughts of disappearing that may have been in Harry's mind fled at this point; it just wasn't wise to anger a dragon, especially a female one- it was a deadly combination. He was about to holster his wand but he saw Saphira moving towards the dwarves who were still alive.

_Stop. They may be of help regarding the staff and could also know who sent him. He is harmless for now. It is not right to kill someone who is helpless and unarmed._

He nearly laughed, remembering his thoughts from moments ago and seeing the irony in the situation. However, he had sense enough to stop himself as he stared at Saphira imploring her to understand. He had not thought and had simply reacted after seeing Saphira moving, instinctively understanding her intentions, though now that he thought about it he should have phrased it more politely. After all who was he to order her around? He was about to add something when...

_Very well then, I will let him live for now though I doubt they will be of much help, they have very strong mental walls and though we can break them it will take time to get the information from an unwilling mind._

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if Spahira had decided not to heed his advice but he would not question his luck when it was in his favour.

_Why did you use the rock to knock him out?_

So she had seen him do that. He wondered if she had seen him conjuring the bandages too. That was a thought for later.

_I don't want him listening to anything I say. I would have done it magically but he is protected against it. It is his fault that I had to do it this way and besides he deserves it._

He replied giving nothing away as he turned towards the dwarves and then waving his wand brought them all together- it would be better to take them with him. Something that sounded suspiciously like a dragon snorting came from behind him followed by a plume of smoke. He ignored it thinking it better for his health- he shuddered as he remembered the licking he got when he had laughed at Thorn and had no wish to have a repeat, _ever._ He then levitated all nine dwarfs and started moving towards the place where he remembered the staff being with Saphira following him.

The others were there gathered around the still invisible staff. From the looks of it they had escaped unscathed. Of course it was to be expected, the force was nowhere near enough to take all of them. The assassins had probably counted on the element of surprise to give them a decisive advantage as they picked off their targets one by one without them being aware of it. Needless to say once they lost their advantage they failed.

Eragon and Arya were trying different spells on the staff to remove the staff and destroy the wards. They were not having much success, the protections around it were strong and in their state wearied after the battle they were not able to do much. As Harry approached Eragon turned around probably sensing Saphira. When he saw Harry his expression brightened and then it turned horrified as he looked behind him. Harry turned quickly expanding his senses to see if he was in any danger, thinking that one of the dwarves had escaped somehow but everything was fine- except for the expression on Saphira's face. She was furious to say the least and Harry was thankful it wasn't directed at him.

_ERAGON._

**POV change to Eragon in the command tent just before the Assassins attacked.**

Eragon had just finished describing the events of his fight with Murtagh and thereafter to the people present in the tent. Everyone was silent as they contemplated what they had just heard. It was a lot to take in- Murtagh as the red rider, his defeat of Eragon and revelations about his ancestry, the appearance of Harry - it was a strange name and the subsequent fight where he had managed to wound and nearly defeat a rider and then his disappearance.

Yes, it was a lot. Eragon had nearly an hour to digest and come to terms with all of it and even then Saphira had helped him tell the story, giving him reassurance in parts where his voice failed him- especially when he revealed what he knew about his ancestry. He was willing to give the others time to come to terms with what they had heard.

Eragon looked at Nasuada to see if he could gauge her reaction. Unsurprisingly, she had been the first to guess the identity of the red rider- she was sharp, Ajihad wouldn't have chosen her to be his successor otherwise, daughter or not. Her face was blank as she was lost in thought though Ergaon knew that she would be saddened by the fact that Murtahgh had been forced into the King's service. She had gotten to know him personally during his stay in Tronjheim and had fought alongside him in the battle of Farthen Dur and had been one of the first to not hold his ancestry against him. Eragon hoped he would be granted the same courtesy.

Surprisingly, it was Nar Garzhvog who broke the silence. He started with the thing that had been plaguing Eragon the most.

"First things first; I don't think it matters to any of us that your father was Morzan, Shadeslayer. As King Hrothgar said your actions against the traitor king speak for themselves. It would be foolish to doubt you for something that you had no control over. Anyway, it is the Urgal way to judge each ram for his own strengths and you have more than proven yours."

There were nods all around. It was Nasuada who spoke next.

"I agree with Garzhvog. However, I think it would be best if this knowledge was kept among the people who are already present here, unless you want to tell your cousin Eragon?"

Eragon nodded to show that he wanted to tell Roran.

"Then you can tell him but I would caution against spreading it further. While we know you personally and will never doubt you, there are those in the Varden who will and we can't afford that now. There may even be those who will try to take matter into their own hands and though I have no doubt that you can defend yourself it will spread discontent among the people. I hope you understand."

Eragon agreed wholeheartedly. He did not want a repeat of the fearful glances he kept getting when he had first joined the Varden at Tronjheim. He could bear it then since the people had not known about it but he didn't know if he could bear it now when he had already proven his loyalty to the fight against Galbatorix.

"I'll only tell Roran for now, he deserves to know. As for the rest of the Varden, it shouldn't matter who my father is but I know to some it will. So, I will keep it to myself." He finished somewhat bitterly.

"What about the red rider?" It was Garzhvog who asked this question bringing the discussion back to the most important topic that they had been avoiding.

_I like him. He doesn't dance around the topic like you two legs seem to enjoy doing. You weren't far off in your estimation of him, little one._

_I know. I just didn't realize that he was so blunt. But then he is an Urgal, they like to take things head on. _Eragon replied.

_You are improving, little one._ Saphira said chuckling at his reply.

When it seemed that no one would take the lead on this one, it was Orrin who chose to break the silence.

"What about him? He is a traitor for joining the king. I say we kill him the first chance we get and be done with it."

However, it wasn't Nasuada who answered him as Eragon expected but Arya.

"Maybe he has joined the king. But we also know he has not done so willingly. When given the choice, he had fought with us in Farthen Dur not against us. As Eragon pointed out, he had left the King's service after witnessing his brutalities even though he could have had anything he wanted then-riches, power and prestige. There is also Thorn to think about. He is just a child by any standards, a few months old and the King has forced him to grow using magic and has forced him into battle. The only reason that Murtagh is serving the king is to protect Thorn and I say we give him a chance to do so. If we can find a method to rid him of his vows, we will have a chance to rebuild the race of dragons and will also have a dragon rider at our side."

Nasuada also added her bit.

"Yes. I think we ought to give him a chance. If we can persuade him to our side then we have much to gain. And I can't say any of us could have done different in his position. He was taken from us unwillingly and forced to serve someone whom he hates. We still have a chance to save him and should take it."

Orrin however, would not take this lying down.

"What of the fact that he tried to kill Eragon and refused to let him go, even though his vows allowed him to do so. What of the many soldiers on our side he may kill? What of the fact he nearly killed Hrothgar? Do we let it all go? You are letting you emotions blind you. Even if we kill him and Thorn, the dragon race will live. There is another egg and I can't risk the lives of my people on the chance that he may turn to our side. Eragon, I order you to take any chance you have to kill him."

Eragon was about to answer that Orrin had no authority over him when Hrothgar intervened.

"I think the point of this discussion is moot for now since we know of no way to break the oaths that the King may have forced on Murtagh and Thorn. If we do find a way and Murtagh is willing to take it, then I think we should accept him. We can't hold it against him if he is forced to do something against his will. And King Orrin, I think you should remember that you have no authority over Eragon. He is a rider and is beholden to none but to the cause of justice. He may have sworn fealty to Nausada but his loyalty is to all the races- including the dragons. He has to think of all of them and if Alagaesia is to flourish again it can only be if the dragon race survives and the riders are re-established. After all, our most prosperous years were under the reign of the riders."

For a moment Ergaon thougt that Orrin would keep arguing but then he seemed to think better of it. After all Hrothgar had been king long before Orrin had even been born. Hrothgar's words brought a halt to the conversation as everyone thought about them.

No one voiced the question of how they would kill Murtagh and Thorn if it came down to it. Eragon could understand that feeling. He was still not used to thinking of Murtagh as an enemy and didn't know if he could go through with killing Murtagh even if by some miracle he had that chance. Thinking about fighting Murtagh, brought his mind back to his easy defeat at his hands, which brought his mind to Harry who had saved him.

Eragon thought that now would be a good time to bring the topic of conversation to Harry and his mysterious abilities when a foreign mind touched against his barriers. He could feel its strength and after warning Saphira about it in case he needed help he lowered his barriers. It was Angela and Harry wondered why her mind felt so much like Arya's with its hypnotic rhythms though they were more subdued and less likely to pull him in. However, right now all of those rhythms sounded jumbled mirroring her frantic state.

_Eragon. Elva just woke now after the battle. She was hysterical. She said that she saw a lot of pain for you, Arya and the others and then she collapsed. I think something bad is about to happen. Be careful and warn the others. I am currently taking care of Elva and have will warn the Du Vrangr Gata about it though I doubt they can get there in time._ Having said this she broke the connection.

Eragon was instantly on the alert. Elva had already averted an assassination attempt on Nasuasda so her warnings were not to be taken lightly.

"Everyone, Angela just told me that Elva has foreseen some threat to us. We.." he broke off midway as Saphira contacted him.

_Little one, there are some people making their way towards our tent at great speed. I can see them but they would be invisible to you two legs._

Though addressing Eragon Saphira's last message was heard by everyone and they all unsheathed their weapons and got ready. Arya made her way to the entrance of the tent with her sword raised. Eragon, sent his mind out to look for the assassins. He found them, but their minds were shielded in a way he had never felt before- they were smooth as glass and Eragon's probe simply slipped away without having any effect on them. Without thinking about what he was doing, he gathered what energy he could and sent it at the oncoming people, using the same spell Murtagh had used on the plateau. Unfortunately for Eragon, he was tired from battle and even then likely didn't have Murtagh's strength and where Murtagh had to deal with only one person Eragon had to deal with more than a dozen. He felt his strength leaving him as his knees buckled, he held on to the table for support and vaguely felt himself falling into a chair. He heard a distant roar and some part of his mind recognized it as Saphira's. Just when he thought he was done for, he felt a large surge of magic from somewhere inside him, something he had never felt before - which left him gasping. He felt the invisibility spells of the attackers break and the flow of magic from his body ceased.

Before he had even time to come to terms with the weakness he was feeling he felt Saphira pouring energy into him revitalising him- Eragon sent a wave of gratitude towards her and stopped the flow. He felt more than saw, Arya lash out at the person who had pulled back the tent's flap sending him tumbling. She was out in a flash going after him and the other's followed. Despite being full of energy, he couldn't bring himself to move. His limbs were shivering and his vision still had spots. In his delirious state he was content to lie there and let the others finish the battle. What broke him out was a pained roar from Saphira which he both heard and felt mentally.

Gathering himself he picked up Murtagh's sword and exited the tent. He saw Arya and the others had formed a semicircle in front of the attackers and were preventing them from moving forwards. He rushed forwards to help them just as he heard Arya shout something about cursed swords from above the din of the fight. When he reached them he understood what she meant, the swords seemed to suck the light out of their surroundings. Their attackers were few in number- dwarves from the look of it, but from what he could see were almost as fast as elves which answered his question of why they weren't defeated yet. Arya couldn't move forward to take advantage of any opening she created using her speed lest she leave Nasuada and Orrin who were fighting beside her vulnerable. Garzhvog was using his strength to push his attackers back while Hrothgar prevented them from taking any shots at the Urgal's legs.

The arrival of Eragon turned the tide. He moved forwards, just as one of the attacking people moved below the Urgals arms to try to hit Hrothgar, Eragon thrust his sword forward through the neck of the dwarf who had not seen Eragon coming up behind Hrothgar.

"Joined the fight did you Eragon, I could have taken care of him." Hrothgar said even as he moved forward taking the opening provided by the fallen dwarf and the surprise of Eragon's entry to bash another over the head with Volund. Seeing that things on this side were taken care of as it was two against one in their favour, Eragon turned to help Arya and the others. Noticing him, one of the dwarves attacking them broke formation with the others and tried to engage him but he had left his side vulnerable to Orrin who thrust his sword into him. Eragon moved around him to engage the other two and with the numbers in their favour, it was simply a matter of time before all the assassins were lying on the ground.

Eragon mentally contacted Saphira and found that her fight too was over, and that Harry was there helping her. She reassured him that she was fine and would be coming along shortly. He desperately wanted to go to her but there were things to be done and Saphira would be here in a few moments and hopefully Harry being here would distract her enough that she wouldn't comment on his foolish use of magic before the fight. He was careful to keep that last thought hidden from her in his mind.

"Saphira is fine. It seems she had help in fighting off the assassins. She will be with us soon."

None of the fighters on their side had any injuries, it was probably because they were used to fighting as a group and were wary when faced with enchanted swords. It was probably why such a small force had lasted so long against them- along with their enhanced speed. Currently everyone was catching their breaths after the fight. Arya and Hrothgar were moving among the corpses probably looking for signs that could identify the clan the dwarves were form though Eragon was sure that they wouldn't be foolish enough to carry incriminating evidence while attacking their king.

"Barzul", it was Hrothgar who had broken the silence and it seemed he had found nothing. "There is nothing on these dwarves that signify their allegiance to any one clan. Best as I can tell they are Vargrimist- those who are clanless, banished on pain of death for deeds unspeakable. Though seeing as how the dwarf attacked you Eragon, we can be certain you were the target and there is only one clan with a known grievance against you- Az Sweldn rak Anhuin. However, it would be folly to accuse them without proof."

"So we just let this act go punished. Is that what you are saying?" Nar Garzhvog rumbled looking like he was ready to charge into the dwarven encampment alone to look for those responsible.

"No. Apart from being the only rider standing against Galbatorix, Eragon is my kin in all but blood from the time I adopted him into my clan. This will be answered but first we must look for proof of our accusations without bias. This may very well be a trick by one of the King's spies to incite a clan war and though I doubt that is the case we must not blind ourselves to the possibilities." Hrothgar said, showing why he was considered one of the wisest dwarf kings.

"I will need the assistance of my clan if I am to look into this matter. Blast this, why isn't anybody here? Our fight was not silent by any means."

"I believe I have the answer to that."

Arya had broken away from the group sometime before and was now standing some distance apart from them trying it seems to get past some invisible barrier. Eragon made his towards where she was standing. Opening up his senses he could feel what she was talking about- there was a large source of magic somewhere in front of them protected by numerous spells. For the first time, Eragon noticed that there were many members of the Du Vrangr Gata milling about around the area of the tent, held back by some sort of barrier. From the looks on their faces Eragon believed that they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary though the fact that they couldn't get through had them panicking. He tried to contact them but his probe was stopped by some kind of a barrier, so he turned his attention back to the source of magic after contacting Saphira and telling her that he might need her help.

He tried numerous spells along with Arya but whether it was due to their exhaustion from the fight or due to the well crafted protection spells they were not able to make much progress. Eragon wished he had not lost Zar'roc; the rider's sword would probably have been able to cut through the protections easily. What was lost was lost and nothing could be done about it.

He felt Saphira coming up behind him and turned around to greet her. He saw Harry was leading the way with the nine assassins floating behind him- he would have to question him later on how he did it all so effortlessly. For now he gave a welcoming smile and then looked behind him at Saphira's thunderous expression and the smile melted off his face.

_ERAGON._

**POV change back to Harry.**

She shouted for everyone to hear, barrelling towards the hapless rider whose expression was comical. She knocked him over and then putting her paw over him continued.

_Of all the stupid things to do; why did you try to remove all their invisibility spells by yourself? You could have dies from the energy drain. You should have asked me for help. You nearly DIED. I don't know how you did it but you will NEVER do something like that again. Do you understand?_

So, it was Eragon who removed the invisibility spell and considering how Saphira was acting it had nearly drained him. Harry could understand the impulsive behaviour- if he had known that sensed the assassins close by and had little time to think he would probably have done the same. But he wasn't willing to stand up to an enraged dragon for Eragon, especially since he had already taken his fair share of chances with her anger today. So, he put down the dwarves, holstered his wand and resolved to enjoy the show.

Eragon was nodding as if his life depended on it. Harry figured Saphira had switched to speaking to him personally and if his expression was anything to go by, he was getting a very thorough tongue lashing. Harry took the opportunity provided to look at the others. Most of them were still focused on Eragon and Saphira, and had amused look on their faces. None of them had noticed him except the Urgal and the elf both of him were looking at him with undisguised curiosity. The elf, Arya, Harry though in his mind, averted her gaze out of politeness when she saw that he had noticed her. The Urgal on the other hand, lifted up his head and bared his throat. Harry didn't know what this gesture meant so settled for nodding his head and hoping for the best. Since the Urgal didn't react except for giving him a grim smile and gesturing towards Saphira, he figured he had responded appropriately.

When he looked back towards Saphira, she had finished her rant and Eragon was back on his feet looking equal parts harried and embarrassed. Harry smiled at his own choice of words, it was oddly appropriate- he had been in many similar situations with Hermione. When Harry came out of his thoughts, he saw that everyone was focused on him- he would really have to stop zoning out like that to reminisce- it was what old people did- but then he was old, wasn't he? And he was doing it again.

Eragon had started moving towards Harry probably thinking him to be shy or something- maybe once upon a time he was but not now. Harry had never liked formalities and right now he needed to make a good impression so he thought a demonstration of how he could be useful would be best. Even as he said this Eragon had reached him and after giving his name to everyone was introducing everyone to him. Harry gave simple nods and bows wherever appropriate. He knew that the better leaders cared more for action than meaningless pleasantries. After the introductions were over Harry addressed Eragon.

"Saphira told me that there is some magical artefact that is being used as a source of the ward that is keeping us trapped here." At Eragon's nod, he continued. "I believe I can help with that."

"Why should we trust you?"

It was Arya who had asked that question and even as he looked she gave him a defiant stare. This did not surprise him. Out of all the others she had most reason to be wary of anything that had any contact with the Empire, after all she was kept prisoner there for a long time.

"I believe my actions till now have all been to help you and I have given you no reason to mistrust me. You are free to remain here and try to break down the mental walls of one of those dwarves, hoping that they will know something that might help. I doubt they will have much information though since the one of the people from your group set up the artefact and they are all dead. And before you ask, I know this because I was on my way here to meet you when the attack happened and I saw the staff being set up. You are free to refuse my offer but it will be you who will remain trapped here, I can leave whenever I want."

Harry looked at the others waiting for their reply. There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Eragon answered.

"I think he is right. We need his help and with the mental barriers the dwarves have it will take time to get the information we need, and the people outside are beginning to panic. Sure enough, there was a crowd of people gathering on the edges of the ward while the Du Vrangr Gata, tried to take it down.

Seeing as they had no choice but to trust him, Arya relented.

"I agree for now but you will have to give us some concrete information about yourself later."

Harry knew that this was the best he would get for now. So, he moved towards the point from where he could feel the magic emanating and expanded his senses. The protections around the staff were strong. Given time he would be able to take them down using magic, but he didn't have time. He would have to use his sword- while he did not want them to know about its unique properties so soon, it didn't matter if they did learn of it. After all being blood bonded to the sword, no one could use it without his permission and he could summon it from anywhere.

"Stand back". He instructed as everyone had moved with him. He drew his sword and sent a burst of magic through it, ignoring the gasps from everyone as they noticed its workmanship and the inlaid gems and especially the sparks that fell from it due to his magic. While it would break the protections even without the magic, this would make it easier and he would have to apply less strength- at the back of his mind he acknowledged that he was also doing it for a bit of showmanship. Turning to his side so that he would have greater momentum, he brought the sword crashing down against the protections.

**A/N: One interesting thing about the number of review I got was that the number for the first chapter was 12 and that for the second was 24 bringing the grand total till now to 36. I hope you will double that number and more after this chapter. **

**On a different note I decided to end the chapter here not because of the love of cliffhangers (being an avid reader I know how much people hate them) but because writing more after the fall of the wards would make the chapter really long. So, I decided to deal with the aftermath in the next one.  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

As the sword met the protections they shimmered in a variety of colours as they strained against it. There was a stalemate for a few moments before his sword broke through as he pushed a bit more magic into it. As the others were giving out sighs of relief and looking curiously at the artefact that was now revealed, Harry knew that the work was not done. He grounded his feet and brought his sword back up simultaneously channelling more magic through it, this time willing it into the form of a transparent shield as he waited for the backlash from the breaking.

The magic built up and rushed towards the breach to crash against his protections. The point of their meeting was a place where brightly coloured flashes of light met his shied which presented as a slight shimmer in the air. The force was greater than Harry expected, he could feel the power of the magic through his shield and for a split second he feared that it would break through. However, he pushed that thought away and focused pushing more magic into his shield and was rewarded as a few seconds later the rush of magic died, leaving spots in his eyes as the flashing colours disappeared. It was only then that he turned around to question the others and found them looking at him in confusion.

"Didn't you expect the magical backlash?" he asked, guessing the answer already that they hadn't and so were curious as to his actions after the ward had fallen, the more magically inclined members probably felt the aftermath.

"What is a magical backlash?" Even though it was Eragon who asked this question, the confusion was mirrored on the face of Arya and even Saphira had her head cocked to one side and was awaiting his answer. Harry never thought he would get to see such an expression on the face of another dragon, and barely contained his amusement.

The others though curious were more subdued in their reactions, he guessed because they weren't well versed in magic to know the extent of the anomalous behaviour. His mind was running a mile a minute trying to figure out the probable causes of the reaction and its lack thereof in this world but he pushed such thoughts to a corner of his mind. They might as well wait for later when he had a better grasp of this magic and anyway he had explanations to make and another, bigger ward to bring down.

"The brief explanation would be that it is the magic remaining after a ward is simply torn apart instead of being unravelled layer by layer or weakened over a period of time. The magic of the ward tries to sustain itself and so rushes towards the point of breach creating the magical backlash. This happens especially in cases of wards which have reinforcements" he said gesturing towards the now visible staff behind him.

"How come I have never heard of this or experienced it…" Eragon asked and with a sidelong glance at Arya continued "... and neither from her expression has Arya".

Harry did not have an answer…yet and was thinking on his reply when Nasuada cut off his thoughts and brought all of their attentions back on the matter at hand.

"I don't think it matters much at this point. The finer points can be discussed later. For now, the priority is to bring down the outer ward…unless of course you believe that this anomaly will repeat itself?" she asked looking at Arya and Eragon but also with a side glance at Harry himself. It pleased him to discover that he must have gained a small amount of her trust or acceptance for her to question him, however, indirectly.

He looked to the other magic wielders in the group - Arya and Eragon to see if an answer was forthcoming but found them looking at him instead. Blast it. He didn't want the responsibility that came with making decisions again but fate was not on his side.

"I am not sure but from everything I know about wards, it is the norm. Why you haven't encountered it yet is not something I can answer but I think we should expect that this ward too will have backlash if I bring it down like the previous one. I don't think we should take that route because the more area the ward covers the larger is the area of the backlash and while we may be able to protect ourselves from it, the people outside will have no defence."

Everybody looked pensive at his answer. Eragon seemed to be thinking hard and by the looks of it, he was having a conversation with Saphira presumably discussing options. The others simply seemed to be waiting for the magical members of the group to come to a conclusion as to how to tackle the problem. Harry appreciated their restraint as they were holding the many questions they clearly had as they gave them the space to think.

His attention was drawn towards Arya who was moving towards the now visible staff which had been mostly ignored by them in the discussion that had started. Harry too took the chance to inspect it more closely now that he had the chance since his previous glimpse had been brief and from afar. As he moved forwards, he glanced up to see Hedwig flying just above the dome, she looked agitated and she must be since she had not been able to contact him. In the heat of battle he hadn't noticed their connection breaking since he had mostly withdrawn from it to focus on the fight. Now that he was aware he keenly felt the emptiness and winced as he imagined her reaction when the ward was brought down. He thought of simply going to her, but thought better of it since it would not endear him to the Varden leaders.

To the naked eye the stave was a simple piece of dark wood, the only distinguishing feature being crystal on top that seemed to give off a small light. To his magical senses however, it reeked of power. Reviewing his conversations with Murtagh about the power of the dwarven magicians, the one who enchanted this must have spent a lot of time pouring energy into the crystal. Breaking it directly would not work since the magic and energy stored would be released directly into the surrounding area and the amount of power that was contained could do a lot of damage. He heard Arya sigh beside him. Her next words indicated that she seemed to be thinking along the same lines as him.

"Well breaking it is out of the question. The energy released would be immense and we are in no position to shield against it, though I don't know about your limits." She said eyeing him critically. He could see how much it cost her to admit her ignorance much like someone he knew.

"I wouldn't want to risk it", he answered. Had it been his world he was sure that given a few minutes of preparation he could have weathered it, but he still didn't know the exact interactions between the different types of magics and his struggle with the previous ward had made him a bit wary. He was out of his depth here. He looked at Arya and she seemed to be concentrating on something and then she beckoned to Eragon.

"Take a look at the crystal with your senses."

Harry observed as Eragon's face cleared of all expressions as he concentrated on the crystal.

"It's so simple I can't believe we didn't think of it. We simply drain the crystal of the energy it contains."

Harry blinked and then blinked again. He extended his mind towards the crystal and sure enough there were no protections against the energy being siphoned off. He was so used to the runes protecting crystals in his world that he hadn't even thought of this option.

"It seems we may have overestimated our enemies. While the attack was well planned I doubt they thought it through this far." He thought out aloud.

"Or maybe they expected us to bring down the ward forcefully and perish in the backlash…..and were it not for you it could very well have been the case." Eragon countered.

"Maybe, but I don't think you would have been rash enough to try to bring the ward down through brute force without examining it thoroughly first" Harry thought, thinking back to the numerous techniques curse breakers used to assure their safety before employing such a method- things that Harry could mostly forego due to his rare ability to sense magic, or at least rare in his world. Eragon looked a somewhat pleased at his compliment.

_You give my rider too much credit, snake eyes. He has a unique propensity for jumping into situations without thinking things through and attracting trouble. _Saphira's voice echoed in his head. Eragon now was looking faintly embarrassed probably reminiscing some of those incidents. Harry smothered his laughter out of politeness.

"Don't you think we should get to work on the staff?" Eragon said probably to escape being the source of their humour but he was correct nonetheless. The group sobered at once realising their situation.

"I have a belt that needs replenishing, Arya do you have any gems on you?" Eragon continued once everyone was focused back on topic. Harry was confused by his odd question especially since it had been Eragon who had pointed out the need to focus on the staff.

"No, but now that you mention I should remedy that once I get the chance." Arya looked a bit irritated as if that was something she should have thought of herself, something which confused Harry even more. Eragon nodded once as if in understanding and then turned towards Harry.

"You're welcome to share, you seem to have gems aplenty", he said pointing to the sword of Gryffindor.

"I don't understand. Share what and what do gems have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Share the energy, of course. There is plenty there for both of us. Surely you know that it can be stored in gems and transferred. After all you would have needed some help in besting Murtagh…"

He suddenly stiffened pausing in mid-speech, Harry assumed Saphira had taken him to task for his lack of tact. Harry was in even more confusion than before and lost in thoughts at what Eragon's sentence had implied. As far as he had known, magic was to wild to be stored, wizards had tried for centuries to do so but it simply dissipated. The best they could come up with was forming it into a spell and tying that to an object- enchanting. He had assumed that the stave in front of him was simply an enchanted object holding up the ward or a focal point for it. He heard Eragon apologising to him for doubting his capabilities but was far too gone in his thoughts to care. If what Eragon had hinted about magic being stored in the crystal was true it went against centuries of experiences of his world.

_That was pure magic,_ a voice in his head said; people here used their very life force, the energy in their bodies to power their spells. It would be more tied to the physical world and thus far more controllable. The possibilities that opened with this revelation were endless. Abruptly, his mind flashed back to the point where Murtagh had told him about sharing energy with Thorn in a show of trust. Then he had simply assumed that the two were very compatible due to their bond, but now that explanation seemed absurd. They were of two completely different species; no way they were that compatible- it was a rarity for two people to have such compatible magics to be able to completely share it. In his world the last such pairs were the founders and that was the reason why the wards around Hogwarts were so strong. However, if what Eragon said was true energy could be shared between any two beings no matter compatibility, since the life energy in everyone was more or less the same.

"Harry…?" He came back to his senses to find all of them looking at him. He had once again lost himself to his thoughts, hadn't he? He would have been blushing if he didn't have such good control over his emotions.

"Er…I lost myself there for a minute. I hadn't known that magic could be stored or shared this way, I simply lost myself in the possibilities that this brings forth." He saw no reason not to admit his ignorance. His strength lay in his different way of wielding magic and he knew they would be fools not to recognise that after his demonstrations today.

Eragon was looking at him disbelievingly. However, it amused Harry to see that he controlled any outbursts or questions he may have had, presumably at Saphira's prompting if the sidelong glance he shot her was any indication.

"Very well, it's not very hard. I doubt that it would take you very long to get it since you already know how to reach out with your mind. Just touch the crystal with your mind and direct the energy to wherever you want to store it. Gems are the best of course, the purer and bigger the gem the more energy that can be stored. Having contact with the items between which the energy is being transferred helps but isn't necessary." He said finishing the impromptu lesson. Harry had been listening with rapt attention. It didn't sound too hard.

"Thank you" Harry said, truly glad that Eragon was willing to impart knowledge without asking for anything no matter how common such knowledge maybe for this world, though he had a feeling that it wasn't very well known despite being possible.

"We had better get on with it", he said, shooting a sidelong glance at the other leaders he could see the hint of impatience in their eyes, they were slowly but surely losing the high spirits from after winning the fight. Nasuada, Orrin and Hrothgar were engaged in conversation while the Urgal leader- he couldn't remember his name, listened passing on occasional comments now and then. They were shooting periodic glances at his group probably wondering what was taking so long but still loath to disturb them, while looking at the people of the Varden accumulated outside with worry.

He could see Eragon had already gone to work by the glazed look in his eyes. Arya was simply standing there waiting for them to finish. While she hid it well, he could see the contained frustration in her at not being able to help.

"You can use the gemstones on my sword to store energy if you want and later when you find your own I'll be happy to give it back". She looked indecisive about his offer so he continued. "It'll make things go faster and we are short on time", he gestured towards the Varden people milling outside.

She too looked outside and that seemed to make up her mind, "Very well then, your sword please. I need to look at where I will store the energy."

He brought up his sword for her inspection and she pointed out two gems on which she would be focused and then turned towards the sword. Harry too did so but he closed his eyes, he didn't want distractions as this was the first time he was trying this out and he dearly wanted to learn this technique, it would be of immense help later.

He reached out with his magical senses towards the staff ignoring the living presences nearby. It was like a magical beacon, he could vaguely sense Eragon and Arya's minds as he touched the well spring of energy in the crystal atop the staff. He paid them no attention as he focused on his task. Cautiously, he willed some of that energy to pass into him. Immediately he felt the energy washing into him and refreshing him. As he allowed the amount to increase, he could feel the small amount of fatigue he was feeling wash away completely and he felt fully rested and content. However, the energy continued to come though he could feel the staff draining bit by bit from the efforts of Eragon and Arya. Now, totally refreshed Harry allowed a bit more of the energy to pass into him feeling stronger by the second, he wondered how long he could continue before pushing such thoughts aside. Experiments could wait, right now was not the time for them. He allowed the excess energy to drain from him through his hand and into a gem on the sword which eagerly accepted it. Harry felt a certain relief, though he had believed Eragon when he had told him about this technique, he had a small degree of scepticism in some part of him feeling that what they were doing was something else but now he was sure. He allowed his connection with the staff to widen and a rush of energy suffused his being, which he allowed to drain into the sword. He could feel Arya doing the same. Slowly, the amount in the sword decreased and finally there was nothing more to channel, he withdrew his mind.

"You got that very quickly and the amount you could channel was quite large too", Eragon was looking at him with undisguised curiosity and Harry could practically feel all the questions he wanted to ask but withheld due to the circumstances.

"I have been practicing magic for a long time", was his simple reply accompanied by a small smile, details could wait for later. "Now we should see about that ward, it is weakened and with a very weak focus crystal…or energy source supporting it, taking it down should be easy. I don't think there should be any significant backlash. I'll still take it down with magic gradually weakening it to prevent any harm to people outside although it seems matters are getting under control", he said spying a figure clad in shawls who seemed to be getting things under control, ordering even what seemed like the commanders of the army around to get some semblance of order and push people back from the vicinity of the shield. She had succeeded in creating a buffer space between the Varden and the shield which was occupied only by soldiers and the occasional magician who could be distinguished by the fact that they were the ones standing completely still.

"That is Angela. She is our resident herbalist. A bit odd but quite handy in a fight and I don't know how but she has a knack for getting people to listen to her when she wants her way". This time it was Nasuada who answered Harry's question, he nodded to show that he had heard her answer. She had come closer to them after they had completed draining the question and must have noticed where Harry was looking.

"Well, I'll get on with the ward unless you see any flaw in the plan", he asked the others. On getting no objections from them he drew his wand and taking a few steps away from Nasuada, he aimed it upwards at where he assumed was the centre of the dome of magic that covered them while the others looked on in barely concealed interest.

"Expulso", he said, though it wasn't strictly necessary for him to do so, letting loose the magic he had called up on the protections. As he saw the blue beam issuing from his wand to crash against the protections, Harry recalled Bill Weasley instructing him on how a skilled wizard could focus the explosion to break down or weaken magical protections that were too powerful or complex for the general counter spell without resorting to more complex techniques. He watched with interest as the spell collided with the top of the dome making the whole thing light up in a spectrum of colours as it struggled against his spell. As Harry continued to pour energy into his spell the colour of his beam brightened while the dome started flashing and becoming dull until the protections fell with nary a sound bringing an anti-climactic end to their imprisonment.

Harry barely had any time to bring his wand down, or appreciate the sudden silence that had descended over the main body of the Varden - presumably because of the light show they had just witnessed, before he was beset with a very angry and worried owl both in his mind and physically.

"Ow…Hedwig…it wasn't my fault", he tried to beat her off while sending soothing emotions in her mind. "I didn't know there would be assassins…" he winced as her wings beat against his head. "I didn't have time….yes I'll be careful next time, will you give it a rest….Ow, that hurt…are you happy now?" He paused registering what he had said and then moved to placate her before she picked up on it. "Of course not…you wouldn't be happy hurting me…I'm sorry….I didn't mean that, it won't happen again. Good girl." She had finally settled down on his shoulder and her emotions too were calm though he could tell she wasn't completely happy with him but wasn't willing to further embarrass him in public. In public…crap! He could feel the smug feelings emanating from Hedwig and that somehow made everything worse. Gathering what little dignity he had left, he turned to the leaders who were joined by the herbalist …Angela, a dwarf and a soldier…high ranking from the look of it and all of them had various looks of amusement on their faces. While the others were trying to hide it somewhat once it was clear his attention was turned on them, Angela was openly smirking. The best course he decided was to forge onwards like a true Gryffindor.

"Er….this is my familiar, Hedwig." Seeing the looks of incomprehension on their faces he started to explain, but reconsidered. At this point it would probably bring up more questions considering the only bonds they knew of were Rider-dragon bonds and those were the result of a pretty heavy duty ritual. "I'll explain later, it's not anything relevant. We have more important matters to concern ourselves with". The bodies of the assassins were still lying about and the people in the crowd were undeniably curious, craning over each other to get a good look. The only thing holding them back was the impromptu perimeter formed by the soldiers and of course the large dragon that was lying down near the tent just a few feet away from the bodies. He noticed that there was a large area surrounding the tent that was empty before the other tents started - probably left so for Saphira. This had allowed the attacking dwarves to set a comparatively large area under the ward with no fear of more help coming in.

His fight with the dwarves had taken place behind the tent while Eragon and the rest had fought in the front. The space all around the tent meant that the soldiers had an easy time establishing the perimeter but the view to the site of the fight was unobstructed. So the front few rows had gotten a good view and Harry could make out a few angry shouts against the dwarves and even Urgals from amongst the general noise of the crowd which had slowly risen since the falling of the dome. It seemed that Nasuada and the others had managed to get a general sense of the crown intentions too judging from the growing frowns on their faces.

"You'll have to make a statement, Nasuada, or the situation could worsen very quickly". It was Hrothgar who made the comment in a worried tone. "Only after that can we get to investigating freely, since I doubt the crowd would allow a group of dwarves through, no matter that they would be trying to catch the culprits."

Nasuada gave a sharp nod and went to consult with the soldier who was standing beside her. Eragon, Arya and Orrin moved to offer their expertise while the second dwarf who had joined them moved to examine the bodies while talking with Hrothgar. That left the Nar Garz..something who was looking at the crowd with a look of distaste on his face and the herbalist…who was looking at him with undisguised curiosity and a smirk on her face.

"You are a curious one aren't you? You've got everything around you in a tizzy!" She came forward. Harry only now noticed how her brown hair was bushy and framed her face. It gave her a look of innocence. However, her eyes gave her away. Though seeming uninterested and distant, they reflected knowledge and had a staggering depth to them apparent to anyone who had practiced the subtler mind arts for any appreciable length of time. It wasn't legilimency- nothing so crude and obvious, but it gave information just the same. He longed to take a deeper look but resisted the temptation both of looking into her mind and of employing his other talents. It was a close thing though, as the feel of her magic reminded him of someone. However, he did get a read of her emotions, it just wasn't possible for him to rein it in fully, and all he felt was curiosity and a sense of excitement and while those were the traits he was used to seeing in Hermione, she wasn't whom the herbalist reminded him of.

As he was ruminating on that, she was observing him. Her gaze sharpened and he was struck by the piercing quality of her eyes, how they seemed to look into his very soul, and though he _knew_ nothing of that kind was happening, nor did he feel any mental intrusion, it was unnerving to be on the end of such a gaze. The moment ended when she gave a delighted laugh which lit up her face and showed light dimples as she pinched his cheek. Harry could feel Hedwig's amusement over the link. He decided not to reply to it- anything would only embarrass him further.

"A mystery, I haven't encountered one such as you before! I'll be keeping an eye out, I dearly hope you stay. First a dragon rider, now you, with your eyes and a special owl to boot….this is the most fun I've had in a long while". She sounded almost giddy as she said this. Harry looked on in bewildered amusement. "Well then, I've got things to do and people to meet". She said as she walked away towards the larger group.

Hrothgar and the other dwarf who were still engrossed in conversation and had been joined by the rest excluding the Urgal who it seems had been observing his interaction with Angela with interest. Harry looked back towards the group and saw Angela joining the conversation. Harry was surprised to see that even in a group made of kings and high ranking people no one objected to her presence. She was one to watch out for.

"There is something about that human that is unique. She treats us no better or worse than she treats others and at Farthen Dur my people remember her as a formidable warrior", the Urgal observed, gesturing towards Angela. "". Then he looked at Harry and for the first time Harry had the full focus of the Urgal's gaze while he was aware of it. "Just as there is something unique about you, Dragon eyes", he said.

"Won't your people be worried about you? There seem to be no Urgals in the crowd?" Harry asked ignoring the Urgal's last sentence. His curiosity was getting the better of him again and if he was to be honest he wanted to avoid another staring match and change the topic.

"They will be, but I left with instructions for them not to interfere with whatever happens. Our alliance does not prevent accidents and eons of rivalry do not disappear with one battle fought together."

"But what if something was to happen to you?" Harry asked.

"Then the humans would be known to be oath breakers and our alliance ended. Even if I brought guards they could not prevail against the forces here in case of treachery, much less against Firesword if he were to join the fight since we won't raise arms against him", he said gesturing towards Eragon. "Their lives would be better spent avenging me". The urgal was smiling, but it was a smile that showed all teeth and on his face was quite fearsome. Still Harry maintained his composure and nodded to show he understood. He made a note to himself that the urgals were not to be underestimated.

"A debt is owed, Harry Dragon-eyes", he said as if tasting the word which was probably new to him. Harry had just begun to wave it off when he continued. "No, let me speak. The serpent-tongued oath breaker would see us all dead and if he could he would pursue us even to the Hiernamaals …the great beyond. Fortunately that is beyond him". He shook his head. "The only one that stands between him and us is Eragon…and you saved his freedom and saved us. Should there be a time where you require assistance my clan shall answer your call except against Eragon himself. Him we shall not stand against".

Harry didn't know why the Urgal was being so forward. However, it would be foolish to turn down freely given aid despite the fact that he had just been given a new name to add to his already long list. Hedwig seemed to enjoy the new name…darn bird, she had been taking far too many liberties since the time he left her in Urubaen and today had just exacerbated their situation. He needed to find those owl treats and fast. Perhaps Angela could help. She appeared to know that Hedwig was special…..something to look into then. Nevertheless he needed to focus on the Urgal before him before he decided to take offense at Harry's silence.

"I don't think you would be as easily crushed as you claim, Nar Garzhvog." Finally he remembered the name and just in time too! "From what I saw the Urgals are formidable fighters. If I ever feel the need I will call upon you and be grateful for any aid you can provide." He made his tone as formal as he could as he had no knowledge of Urgal customs and hoping what he did would suffice.

Nar Garzhvog seemed pleased by his answer though he wasn't too sure. It was damn difficult to read other species especially one whose features were so very different. That is the reason the goblins made excellent bankers and negotiators…you could never tell when they were bluffing or lying...as he had found out to his detriment.

The group meeting of the others had ended and Harry decided to approach to see what they were going to do. He also needed to be aware of what they had decided about him. Eragon was giving him worried looks perhaps because of the conversation he had been having with Nar, they hadn't been allies for long from what he remembered. Harry sent him a reassuring smile as he approached along with Nar. Before he could say a word their attention was drawn towards a commotion in front of the crowd.

"He is my brother and I would like to see if he is well…I am not lying damn you", it was a thickset person, brown haired who was the source of the noise and he appeared frustrated. He was whom Harry had saved just before engaging the bald magicians and also seen punch Eragon. Murtagh hadn't mentioned Eragon had a brother- a cousin then, probably. Wasn't his luck exceptionally good today! He had saved a king and a person who he thought was just a brave and foolish soldier but turned out to be the cousin of the Dragon rider he wished to ask favours of. He had also gained an ally in Nar. Just wonderful, though he should probably wait for the other shoe to drop. Nothing was ever so easy.

While he had been musing Nasuada had gestured to the guard to let the man through and he was now making his way towards Eragon. Harry saw he tried to angle his eyes in a way so as to avoid the many bodies littered on the ground- not very used to fighting then. Clever too, if even with his limited experience he had seen the value of taking out the bald magicians as Harry himself had deduced during the fight. When he reached Eragon the two conversed in low tones that were inaudible to even him over the noise of the crowd which had grown on seeing the man being let through.

Nasuada appeared to be getting ready to make a speech and was waiting for the crowd to quiet down. He could have used a canon charm but it would probably cause more panic. The soldier or perhaps General who had been with Nasuada was barking out orders and slowly with help from the others maintaining the perimeter, silence fell over the crowd.

"People of the Varden, today there was an assassination attempt on the leaders of all the races. When he failed to crush us with his might in a fair fight, Galbatorix seeks to strike from the shadow when we were least prepared. Even then, he failed." The crowd roared and she paused giving them their chance. She raised her hands and silence fell and Harry marvelled at the control she had over her people. Though young she was good and clearly very popular.

"These bodies you see before you were those sent to not only harm us but to break our bonds. To make us doubt our friends and those who had stood with us in our darkest hour. Yes. They are dwarves, but these are the traitors of their kind. Those banished long ago from their midst for heinous crimes…Vargrimist…the lowest of the low. And these are to whom Galbatorix turns when his might fails. Like begets like, I say. He was traitor and that is whom he turns to to do his dirty work- he was a traitor to his Order, a traitor to his race and is a traitor to the people he now rules." Harry could see a few pale faces in the crowd as they saw their leader denouncing the most powerful man they had heard of as a traitor. A few were glancing around nervously- even worlds away people did not change, he mused. Yet he could also make out those who were nodding their heads and looked thoughtful and berated himself for his pessimistic thoughts- there were always those willing to stand up against tyranny, a few bad eggs shouldn't be used as a measure of the whole lot. He drew his attention back to the speech.

"…He doesn't understand the bonds that keep us together, those forged in hardship, bonds of friendship and loyalty. Today together with all the free races we averted his underhanded attempt. Tomorrow, if he strikes we shall defeat him again, and again after that, till his power is broken and the people set free."

The crowd thundered in applause and Saphira roared her approval. Harry almost jumped, almost. He could feel Hedwig digging her talons into his shoulders; it must be difficult for her to be near a being so much bigger than her- a dragon especially. In his world they were not nearly as civilised as Saphira and Thorn- if such a word could be applied to a dragon. He sent over his his protective feelings and his determination to not let anything happen to her over the link and was rewarded with exasperation. She wasn't scared; not really, well if that is what she wanted to think.

He had forgotten about Saphira- how did he forget about a being that could eat him in a gulp? He had been distracted by the thought of new magic he admitted to himself and she had not contacted him mentally. She had probably remained in full contact with Eragon though and had voiced her thoughts through him.

He looked around and saw that the crowd was being dispersed. Most people had already got what they came for- a piece of news and were leaving willingly. The few curious ones who wanted to stay back were being turned around firmly by the guards. He knew as soon as that was done fully it would be time to deal with the leaders. They were standing a small distance off talking amongst themselves while looking at the dispersing crowd. As much as he wanted to ally with the Varden he wasn't in the mood for a long talk now, he had been fighting since morning, mostly against enemy magicians since killing the normal soldiers with magic was something he couldn't stomach as they were pretty much defenceless against him. Not that the magician's fared much better, he had hidden himself and had been able to sneak up on them and run them through quite easily, though finding them had been tough as they were adept at hiding among the normal soldiers they were protecting and he hadn't wanted to expose himself by using his mind or magic to find them. He hadn't used much magic so as to keep a low profile and because he wasn't sure of the effects of the clash of the two types of magic and a battle field was no place to experiment. So, lacking magic he had to make do with his sword, at least until the magician's lost enough concentration till their wards failed, and while he was sure to keep most of his wounds non-lethal he knew many would have died from the injuries due to the nature of the sword. He wasn't exhausted but he had taken a lot of lives today after a long time and it was something he had hoped that he would never have to do again. Though, he knew it was a futile hope. He pushed those thoughts away for later.

As the crowd dispersed the attention of the group that was left focused back on him. The newcomers must already have been informed of his name, but it would be polite to introduce himself fully, since even Eragon only knew his first name.

"My name is Lord Harry James of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter and I am a magician", he said using this world's terms for a wizard. Once he might have felt pompous using a title but he had realised that they could be a useful bargaining chip as it forced them to treat him as somewhat equal to them and not just somebody to be commanded. Also the titles, once he understood their meaning, were something that had been earned by his family and he was proud of it though none would realise their significance here. Moreover, it wasn't as if he was lacking in backing up the title with his magic, so there was no harm in using it. Of course since none would actually realise their significance here, he had left out the 'most' part in the titles. They always struck him as somewhat silly. He continued in the ancient language with the words he thought would prove his trust while also not binding him to any action that he didn't agree with. Once was enough for that sort of experience, he thought.

"I would like to ally with the Varden against Galbatorix since I believe we can help each other". He waited for Eragon to translate what he had said for the others, since he had spoken in the Ancient Language. It was Hrothgar who answered him.

"Well, that takes care of most of our concern." He said looking at the others who were nodding. Nasuada however did not seem to be convinced.

"It is true and the fact that you said it on your own is in your favour and the fact that you helped Eragon escape Murtagh. But you must understand that it can't be enough. What you said, and I am assuming Eragon translated correctly", she looked at Arya who nodded though she was frowning as was Eragon. Harry could hear a faint growl coming from Saphira. Didn't Nasuada trust Eragon? That was something to look into later. She continued. "What you said simply ensures that you are willing to fight with us and ally with us now, it says nothing about how your views may change in the future. And even leaving that, Eragon says that the king is looking for you. Murtagh fought with us during the battle of Farthen Dur but still was turned against us. What is to ensure that the same will not happen to you?"

Harry did not like where this was going but he had to admit that she had valid points. He could of course give a more comprehensive oath but he was loath to do anything that would bind him.

"Would you like someone to look into my mind? I will allow that but there are things I would rather keep private and whoever enters my mind would have to restrict themselves to a few memories. As for Galbatorix turning me, he enslaved Murtagh and Thorn by using their true names against them, Galbatorix doesn't know mine. To know that he would need to capture me and break into my mind which without my permission is very difficult. And even then he couldn't use it to command me"

"Didn't Galbatorix enter your mind when you were in Urubaen. Murtagh's words conveyed that he had a special interest in you. I doubt he wouldn't have tried? And why wouldn't he use your true name against you?", Arya asked.

"He did but he never really got past my defences though he believed he had. I could have let him in to see if I could overpower him but the mind is not a place to have a battle, especially with one an opponent of Galbatorix's calibre." Harry grimaced at the thought of having a battle in his mind…he still remembered Voldemort's and Snape's intrusions...not to mention the other esoteric magic he had been a vessel to. He also didn't mention that he could let someone in to see a few memories while hiding others…no need to let that particular cat out of the bag just yet.

"As for my true name, let's just say it is well protected in a very unique way. That method is something that cannot be taught" Harry finished again in the ancient language to reassure them that he was speaking the truth.

"I've never heard of a technique that allows you to fool someone in that fashion in your mind" Arya said looking at him disbelievingly, she couldn't protest the true name part because had said it in the ancient language though if her expression was anything to go by she would dearly like to. Eragon had translated his last sentence to the others while Arya was talking. Nasuada heard him out and then took continued from where Arya had left off.

"That is not really the issue right now. While your true name cannot be misused, this only proves that you believe what you say. Even if it were true, the others issue still remains. What is to say that you haven't already sworn an oath to Galbatorix and are doing this at his behest? Also, by your own admission, you held him off in your mind, so you could probably fool anybody here" she stopped. Harry nodded to show his understanding, he hadn't thought of this little complication. "Perhaps a vow of allegiance or loyalty to the Varden and a vow to not harm anyone here… That would ensure….", this was as far as she got before she was cut off by King Orrin, followed by Hrothgar.

"That is going too far Nasuada…he owes the Varden no such thing.." Orrin stopped when he realised that Hrothgar too was speaking against such a move.

"He has saved my life, Nasuada and while caution is warranted in times such as these, this is beyond that. There is no cause for him to bind himself in such a way." Nasuada seemed stunned at the opposition. It seems she hadn't anticipated this. She looked around to the others for support. The others it seemed were either too shocked as with Arya, though she didn't show it much, and Eragon or had barely hidden disapproval in their countenances like the new dwarf and the soldier who had joined them later on. Garzhvog had an impassive face which gave away nothing. Angela it seemed had the oddest reaction. She seemed to be holding back laughter before giving into it and that more than the outrage showed by Hrothgar and Orrin cooled Harry's simmering anger. All the others looked at her as if she was mad.

"An oath of loyalty, Nasuada..", she said holding back her laughter. "My…..haven't you grown to demand such a thing of one like him..., you could as well ask to tame a wildfire" and Harry felt his jaw drop at that proclamation. Thankfully everyone's attention was focused on the herbalist who seemed to have lost her humour and was dead serious now.

"If it is his mind that must be looked into, I can do that along with Arya and Eragon. That along with a repeat of the oath he has taken with some additions to ensure he is under no other oaths while I am in his mind should suffice to confirm his intentions. That is if Harry is still willing".

Harry nodded. Yes, that was an ingenuous way to check his truthfulness and loyalty. While the meaning of his words could be different if he simply took the oath, having someone in his mind to check his intentions when he took the oath would be a sure way to ensure his truthfulness. Harry could still try to bend the vow his way with Occlumency but it would be a very difficult task with no assured end, since he would have to simultaneously focus on the vow, his own intentions for it and what he wanted to show the person checking his mind, in this case it would be three which would further complicate things. A very difficult task but since Harry wasn't lying it was a moot point for him.

They spent some time haggling over the exact wording of the vow. Harry didn't want an and after they agreed on it Harry readied himself to take the vow. But before that he had to let them into his mind. He concentrated on the memories that he didn't mind them seeing, bringing them to the forefront of his mind, namely his time in Urubaen. Others he hid thoroughly along with the time he had spent practicing and experimenting with magic while he had been here, no need to give them more information than required. He hid the bulk of his journey from Urubaen, since he had used a lot of magics on the trip and while he would eventually have to reveal them, he would do so on his own terms and perhaps they would serve a purpose later. Besides hiding those also prevented any awkward questions that may be raised. Once done, he opened his mind.

He felt them enter his mind one at a time first Angela, then Eragon and then Arya as they had previously discussed. When Snape had entered Harry's mind for the first time in his fifth year, Harry had barely felt anything except the rush of memories and the blinding headache. This was mainly due to his inexperience with legilimency and Snape's anger at having to teach him which made his magic very vicious. Now however, after years of having practiced the art he could feel even the most subtle touches on his mind, and the touches of the three were distinct to him. One simply slipped into his mind with the least amount of disturbance and yet it had a strength and depth to it that was remarkable along with what felt like faint resonances, another was somewhat similar to the first but seemed to have more of a hypnotic quality that urged him to take a deeper look, the third was wilder and less controlled than the first two and somewhat lacking in depth, though all three were pretty strong. From what he knew Harry guessed the third belonged to Eragon with the short amount of time he had been practicing magic. However, he couldn't identify the owners of the first two not knowing them well enough, however if he had to take a guess he would bet his galleons on the second one belonging to Arya what with her being an elf. All three touches were different from what he had experienced in humans here and in wizards back home. He brought his attention back to his surroundings and seeing as the others were ready, he made his oath.

"I wish to ally myself with the resistance against Galbatorix and mean no harm to the resistance against him at this stage. I am not an ally of Galbatorix nor am I under any oaths to him or any who serve him. I have no thought to betray the resistance to Galbatorix or any other who serve under him."

Harry was particularly proud of the wording he had managed to wrangle. The Varden, particularly Nasuada and Orrin wanted reassurances that he wouldn't attack them or turn against them or oppose them in the future but he disagreed saying he knew nothing of them or their end goals and making such a vow would be foolish. In the end they had to settle for the vow that he did not mean them any harm and would not betray them to Galbatorix. Having Angela, Arya and Eragon in his mind further ensured that his intentions were not harmful to them.

As soon as he made the oath the three withdrew from his mind and nodded to the others and there was a palpable sense of relief that filled the clearing they were standing in. While they did not trust him nor him them fully, the foundation on which to build that trust had been laid.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I just couldn't get the last part of the chapter right and I was really busy. But I know that is no excuse. **

**Anyway, the Hrothgar POV wasn't covered in this chapter mainly because I wanted things to happen from Harry's point of view so that the magic part could be explained fully and we could see as he analyzed it. Mainly so a basis can be set for how the systems of magics relate to one another. There will be more of it in later chapters. **

**The next chapter will see a short Hrothgar POV in the beginning, mainly to show what is happening about the dwarfs that attacked the leaders and Eragon and to get his views on Harry.  
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**Any ideas on female lead for Eragon and her name would be appreciated. As will thoughts on Glaedr, Oromis, Thorn, Murtagh- who lives who dies. I am thinking of expanding the main cast a bit just so I can have a few people to kill off otherwise there is a feeling that too few people are killed during the war- or at least people we know. In canon Izlanzadi and Hrothgar were the only casualties and neither of them had major screen time. Roran, Katrina, Eragon, Saphira, Arya, Thorn, Murtagh, Blodhgram, Angela, Solebnum, Elva, Nasuada, Orrin, Orik- all of them survived. Even Blodhgram survived. Only Brom and Oromis truly died among what you would call main characters. **

**If you find a very obvious loophole in the oath please review or send me a PM. **

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


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